Familial Bonds
by Aerianna69
Summary: Continuations of He's Got a Secret! Naruto is back and is needing help from her ever growing friends to help protect her twins, even if it is from Sasuke, their father. Watch how her journey's are with the twins along to boot.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor any character but the cuties that my brain has concocted.

 **A/N:** Hello, my lovelies. I know you all have been waiting impatiently for this story to come out. You are all lucky that this one is coming out right now as it is. I'm trying to get my mind off of losing my cat, which she died of old age today. We rescue all of our animals and she's on that I have grown attached to really quickly because she's a special needs animal. She was abused by previous owners who ended up declawing her and in the end they dropped her off at a power plant. A friend brought her to us and we have had her since. What I mean by special needs is that her hips were deformed due to a previous accident that her previous owner didn't even take the time to get fixed via the vet. When I was told by a specialist that she would die if I were to get it fixed so we have just been enjoying watching her walk around, even if she did kind of look like she's one of those old men who lived on a horse. She had her own quirks but they were cute, and she loved meowing to get my attention a lot, and cuddling with me when everyone is in bed. She decided that since this is such a good home to finally end her time and stopped eating. I was told that cats do that when they are older and are comfortable in a house, not counting with her fractured rear teeth she was probably having issues eating and decided it was too much of a hassle. She still did her normal things, like cuddling and everything until a few days ago where she wasn't able to keep her balance so we just waited, knowing it was going to happen. I just know that I've been crying for hours because she became one of my babies in the short amount of time that we have adopted her. If you guys want, I did put a short video up of her on Tiktok, I'm anniekitsune69 so I'm not hard to find. Anyway, my mind was so set on starting this one that I hope you all will enjoy it and as of now I'm still having computer issues and this is the 6th computer that decided to stop working for some apparent reason. We might just give up and get me a gaming laptop since they are higher strength and can hold all of my back up, except my triple backups that have to take an external hard drive to even do. Anyway, since I've lost my writing buddy I have just been dealing with the two who are begging for food instead of my fuzz ball lap warmer. I hope you all will enjoy the start since I've decided to just go ahead and start it at the beginning of Shippuden where he arrives back at the village. Well, here goes everyone:

 **Chapter One**

Multiple footsteps are heard, walking through the gates of Konoha, drawing a few people to their attention as the group of four continues on walking slowly. They look up around them and the nostalgic feelings overwhelm them as the two older recognize the buildings that don't seem like they have changed all that much. "It's been about 2 and a half years…" A feminine voice says as it is full of wonder.

"Indeed…" The older man says and they stop towards the center of a familiar road where the teen girl drops one of her bags to the ground, she jumps up to climb the power pole, while Jiraiya stands still with a young child with black and blond hair is snuggled up to his shoulder, watching the people walking by. "Haha…she's certainly cheerful today isn't she…"

"Alright! I missed this place! It hasn't changed one bit!" She shouts out as a little red headed girl is glued to her back. "Yeah! Yeah! Eh?!" Naruto's ponytail is tugged on by the girl.

"Mommy, isn't that Granny?" The little girl points to the faces on the Hokage monument.

"Hehehe! So they've added Tsunade's ugly old mug to the mountain! Ha!" She giggles as the little girl starts getting excited and climbing up onto her shoulders.

"You've grown a lot, haven't you…Naruto." Kakashi says as his face shows a little shock at seeing the girl climbing on her. Naruto and Jiraiya both look over to see the man reading one of Jiraiya's novels. "Yo!" He says as he holds a hand up in greeting. "What's with the little girl?" He asked her and his jaw drops when the girl jumps off of Naruto to slide down the pole and jump onto the roof where he is sitting.

"Is this your old sensei, mommy?" She asks as she pokes him on the chin wondering why he is wearing a mask. Kakashi's jaw drops when he notices that the girl looks almost exactly like a younger version of Kushina minus the whiskers on her cheeks and the bright blue eyes she got from her mother and grandfather.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouts out in glee and she jumps from the pole to the roof. "Haha! You haven't changed at all!" She tells him and rubs the little girls head and introduces her to Kakashi. "This is Shina-chan, my daughter." She says and the man's eyes widen. "Wait! Oh yeah!" She starts rummaging through her pouch on her hip. "Hey! Hey! I have a present for you, Kakashi-sensei!" The man looks at her with wide eyes, still not comprehending that the little girl is Naruto's daughter.

"Whaaat?! You…h-how…th…this is…" Kakashi stutters out as Naruto holds out the newest book of Jiraiya's.

"This is the latest in the Icha Icha series after 3 years! It's really boring, but you'll still like it…I think!" Naruto said as the man is now enthralled by the cover of the book.

 _'Idiot…a kid like you wouldn't understand the beauty of that book…it's still an unreleased rare item too…'_ Jiraiya thought as he pouts and the child wiggles, making him put him down on the ground. He runs up and jumps up to join his sister and mother as they are talking to the man.

"So, are you a pervert like Gramps?" The little boy asks Kakashi as he jerked his eyes away from the cover of the book to jump back a little when he saw another little kid with black and blond hair staring at him with very familiar black eyes. "Hi, I'm sorry if I startled you, my name is Futarou Uchiha, and that's my little sister, Shina Uchiha."

"I think you might want to correct that, bud." Naruto stares at her son wryly.

"But it's too long, and don't you want us to share the same name as daddy?" He whines to his mother who sighs.

"I still have to decide if I want your last names to be the same as mine or your fathers." She said as she picked the two up and put them onto her hips, hopping down off of the roof with Kakashi following her.

"Umm…Naruto, when did you have them?" He asked her and she looks at him.

"I had them a little early considering they are twins so I would say seven months after I left here." She tells him and he sighs as he watches her put them down to start walking besides her, after she picks her bags up, making the other two carry their back packs.

"Does he know?" Kakashi asks as he starts following her with the book closed in front of him.

"You mean Sasuke?" She asks with a wry smile on her face. "How am I to tell him when I haven't seen him since he left me on the banks of the river? Looking at Futarou is the closest I will ever get to see his face, Kakashi." She tells him with a sad tone and tries to perk herself and the kids up. "Right! Next stop, straight to Ichiraku Ramen!" She shouts and the girl is the only one who gets excited while the boy shakes his head and rushes off after them.

"As promised, I'll leave Naruto back into your care…" Jiraiya tells him as they slowly walk behind the other three.

"Do you mind telling me why I wasn't told about the twins?" Kakashi asks the man with an irked expression in his eye.

"There's only a few of the village that even knows about the two, you do know they will have to be protected right?" When Kakashi raises his brow he smiles sadly and looks at the two kids. "The Kyuubi has told both me and Naruto while we were training after she gave birth to them, that they will be future Kyuubi holders." The man stops and Kakashi follows suit. "Now, don't get confused on me when I say that the Kyuubi will not be transferred to the two like we thought. It seems that Kyuubi's two oldest will be their contracted souls and are already inside of them as we speak." He sighs as he knows what else he is about to say to him will aggravate the man as well. "I fear Akatsuki has been growing impatient…they may make an attempt on Naruto soon…I'm going to head around and gather as much information as I can…" He stops taking a deep breath. "I brought them here to be protected since the Akatsuki do not have the knowledge about the tailed beasts inside of the twins, but that still doesn't mean that they will be unprotected. We never leave them alone without having a beast guardian guarding them. The fact that they are now the holders of three old families is another factor that we cannot overlook." The men start looking towards the three when Naruto screeches out.

"Sa…Sakura-chan?" Naruto stutters out when she saw the pink haired Kunoichi standing there.

"Eh? Naruto?!" Sakura points at the girl, who no longer sports pigtails. "How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now…?"

"You look fine! You haven't changed at all!" Naruto says and Sakura now takes in the appearance of the girl that she practically grew up with. She's a little bit taller than Sakura now and her hair is braided from her bangs up to the ponytail holder with one long braid dangling with the other strands that are free in the braid. Her blond hair has changed a lot since now it has a streak of red to it, which is the strand that is braided. What changed the most that she's noticed is that Naruto's hips are a lot wider with her bust size rivaling Tsunade's making the girl wonder why she's too small compared to Naruto.

"You've changed a lot more than I have, I see." Sakura says as she doesn't even notice the two kids who run straight over to Tsunade who swoops them up into her arms, hugging them tightly. "You've…you've gotten taller than me?!"

"Yeah…" Naruto says as she looks every so often at her kids out from the corner of her eye.

 _'Hmm…Naruto…you've become really strong since I last saw you…'_ Sakura thought as she smiles gently at her teammate.

"Naruto Neechan!" Konohamaru shouts to get her attention as he performs the seals to the Sexy Jutsu. His body transforms into a naked woman and Tsunade had to cover the children's eyes so that they wouldn't see as Naruto smacks him out of the Jutsu, making Jiraiya glare at her. "How was that?! A real drool of a Jutsu, wasn't it?!" He asks her as he rubs his head where she hit them, making Naruto giggle at him.

"Konohamaru, I'm sorry but I'm not a kid anymore. From now on, you shouldn't use that Jutsu either…" She says and the teen's eyes widen.

 _'So…Naruto hasn't just matured in appearance…this makes me feel a little sad. You really have become amazing…Naruto. I'm sure you've come back with a lot of great new Jutsu too, right…?'_ Sakura thought as she watched the girl.

"…at least don't do it in front of my kids, you moron!" She raises her voice up at the teen that follows Sakura's movements as their jaws drop and their eyes widen as they look around to finally see the two toddlers being held by Lady Tsunade. Sakura's eyes narrow as she punches Naruto, making the girl fly off with blood flowing out of her nose and mouth, as she didn't expect the pink haired girl to hit her. She grabs the girl by the front of her shirt that has changed greatly and is now a dark blue with orange stripes covering the top, while the bottom is orange with blue stripes. It is open with a black shirt underneath it, tight against her breasts.

"Why the hell do you have two kids, Naruto? I thought you loved Sasuke? Why would I ever stick up for you being with him if you end up getting pregnant while you were gone, idiot? What happened in the two years that you were gone?!" She shouts at her while shaking her. "What about that wonderful feeling of respect I had for you just now?! Ahh! I can't believe you cheated on Sasuke!"

"Hey, hey, Sakura, calm down…Konohamaru here's terrified…" He says as he has a shaking teenager standing behind him with a petrified look on his face. "Not counting the two that look like they want to kill you," he says pointing behind her at the two kids who are glaring at her with red eyes, making hers widen when she notices the little blond/black haired boy.

"He looks like…" She stopped her words when Tsunade shakes her head at her student.

"Jiraiya, I told you that it might be bad if Sakura didn't know…Yes, Sakura, these two are Naruto's and Sasuke's children," she tells her as she walks closer and closer to the two who are now calming down since they have seen their mother get up and wipe the blood off of her face, showing the steam that emits off of her cuts, healing them quickly.

 _'That beauty and strength…it would seem as though you've raised another Tsunade, no?'_ Jiraiya thinks as he slowly walks away from the girl.

"Right. The nostalgia ends here though. Kakashi," Tsunade says as she closes her eyes and puts the children down as he closes his book with a clap.

"Well…it's been a while, hasn't it?" He says as the two look at him. "From now on, the two of you will come with me on team-related missions. It's different than before. It's no longer teacher and pupil. Starting today, we're equal Konoha Shinobis," he tells them as he holds out the two bells, showing them. "Well…first I'm a bit curious as to how you've developed. The rules are the same as when I first met you two. If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you will never succeed in getting the bells!" As he speaks the two start grinning at the man who is now fastening the bells to his waist band.

~3~

They decided to meet the next day at the same place that they did the same test, making sure that it was just Sakura and Naruto since Kakashi didn't want anything to happen to the two kids. "The rules are the same as before. No matter how, try to get the bells from me. You have until sunrise tomorrow."

"Well, this place…I've missed it," Naruto says as she looks around the area, not missing the three posts sticking out of the ground.

"Yeah," Sakura agrees.

"Ah, that's right; this is where you first trained, isn't it?" Kakashi says as he looks at the two with his new book opened.

"Team 7…" Sakura said as she looked down deep in thought.

"The three-man team…" Naruto's eyebrows furrow as she has a vision of Sasuke flashing inside of her mind.

"That time…Sasuke was around too, wasn't he…?" Kakashi asks, reminiscing about the years that passed. His eyes widen when he noticed how hard it hits the two that Sasuke is no longer with them. _'Sasuke's name is a taboo word for these two, huh…?'_ He thought as his expression turns exasperated and he closes his book, drawing Naruto's attention to him. "Well then, shall we begin?"

"Hehe…you won't do it while reading the book this time? Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto asks as she tightens her head band around her head.

"You've already finished it?" Sakura wondered as she adjusts her cloves with a grin on her face.

"No, I think I should save the enjoyment for later," he says as he rummages inside of his pouch. "Besides, this time, for some reason…" He raises his head band from his Sharingan activated eye. "I get the feeling I should take it a little seriously too." They stared at each other, gauging how exactly they should start when the bells clink on his hips, making Naruto throw some Shuriken at him, while he releases three of his own towards her. Kakashi ducks down to avoid hers while Naruto jumps over him and he decides to throw three more, causing Naruto to create a Shadow Clone to pull her real body out of the pathway of the spinning stars.

 _'Clever, she couldn't move in the air, so she used a Shadow Clone for movement!'_ Sakura observes with a smirk on her lips, watching as the girls clone then transforms into a huge Shuriken until Kakashi grabs her hand, halting her movements as he also grabs the back of the girls head, drawing the Shuriken closer to the back of her head. What startled the man was that the girl already thought of that happening and she already created another clone, who is now pointing a Kunai at his back.

 _'Her use of the Kage Bunshin, the very timing, clever.'_ He thought as he looks down at the girl. "Well, your haste hasn't changed…" Kakashi says as the girl giggles. _'You've matured, haven't you, Naruto…'_ He smiles down at the girl. "Alright, start!" He says and his clone disappears.

 _'Right, above…'_ Sakura starts looking everywhere. _'Left, behind, if he's not anywhere…'_ She balls up her fist really quick and shouts, "Below!" She hits the ground right in front of her causing it to break apart in huge chunks all in front of her, making Naruto's eyes widen in shock at the force the girl used.

 _'Wha…what insane power! The fifth, you didn't just teach Sakura medical Ninjutsu…did you…?'_ Kakashi thought as his eyes widen in shock.

"Found you!" Sakura says as she stares at the man.

 _'I should stop playing around in front of Sakura, she could kill me…!'_ Naruto thought as she stands behind the girl, watching.

 _'She builds up the maximum amount of Chakra in her fist, then releases it in an instant, without precise Chakra control, she couldn't do that. It's a real feat. Medical Ninjutsu plus amazing strength, no, that's not all. Because Sakura was originally a Genjutsu type…'_ He thought as the bells jingle from him climbing fully out of the rocks that were surrounding him. _'She may become an even better Ninja than the fifth…'_ He thought as he stands straight. "Alright, this time should I also do something on my end?"

~3~

As the hours went by, the two find themselves resting behind a tree, away from the eye sight of Kakashi. "I already knew it, but the Sharingan really is amazing, and not only that, his seal-making speed, it's too fast for me to follow…" Sakura pants out as she looks at Naruto from the corner of her eye. "If we could somehow stop him using both hands, we could get to the bells."

"Yeah, Kakashi-Sensei's unreasonably strong. He's smarter than Shikamaru, and he has a better sense of smell than Kiba, he has a better Sharingan than Sasuke, and better Taijutsu than Bushy Brows," Naruto says as she looks around the tree, keeping an eye out for the man.

"But even Kakashi-Sensei has to have a weak point…! If we think it over well…" She pauses as she notices that Naruto is thinking really hard on this.

Meanwhile, Kakashi is keeping a look out with his Sharingan for the two. _'Hmm, using the Sharingan this much, if I use it, soon I'll run out of stamina, that's my weakness…'_ Kakashi thinks as he crouches in some bushes right behind a thick trunk of a tree.

"Ah, he has…a weak point…!" Naruto says out loud in a quiet voice making Sakura look straight at her.

"Re…really…?!" She asks.

"Hahaha, Sakura-chan! If you really think back about how Kakashi-Sensei's been until now, you'll understand…" Naruto says as she giggles.

"Stop being such a know-it-all Naruto, what's the weak point?!" Sakura shouts at the girl.

"Heeheehee, well, it's…" Naruto giggles as she tells the girl.

 _'But, their growth is brilliant, I shouldn't be so cheerful…Maybe I should be on the lookout for signs of how they'll approach…'_ Kakashi thought as he looks all around him, trying to figure out where they will come at him from.

"Of course…! I can't believe he has a weak point like that…!" Sakura shouts out in glee and leans closer to her teammate. "In…in that case, while we force his hands up, if we're clever, maybe we can be protected from his Sharingan too! If we take that chance…Naruto, you really are the number 1 most unpredictable person!"

"If we prepare like that, we can win with the initiative. Let's get going!" Naruto tells the pink haired girl.

"Right! Let's go!" Sakura says and they start rushing towards where they think Kakashi might hide.

 _'They're here!'_ The man notices that they are rushing straight at him. _'They really have to be joking, making a direct attack…'_

"Now, Naruto!" Sakura shouts to her.

"Let's go! Kakashi-Sensei!" She shouts as she gets closer to the man, whose eyes widen. "The last joke in Icha Icha tactics...! The truth is that the main character…"

 _'Wha…what?!"_ The man's eyes widen when he realizes that she's about to tell him the plot of the new book that he got from Jiraiya, so he covers his ears. _'Oh, oh no!'_ Then he realized another factor, _'Dammit! Because of the Sharingan, I might know what she says from her lip movements!'_ He shouts in his mind and squeezes his eyes shut tightly, making the jingling sound from the bells drawing his attention, he turns around.

"Hehe, a Ninja should look underneath the underneath." Naruto says as she holds up one of the bells.

"Right, Sensei?!" Sakura says to him as well as throwing him a peace sign with one hand while her other jingles the bell in her hand.

~3~

"Well, you have become strong, huh? I'm amazed you were actually able to get the bells." Kakashi tells them as they were walking through Konoha.

"Hehe! Maybe I've even surpassed you, Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto suggests as she looks at him over her shoulder.

"What are you saying? Such conceit…" Sakura shakes her head at the girl.

"Haha, but anyway. I'm still young, and recently, I developed a brilliant new Jutsu…" Kakashi brags with a closed eye as Naruto's stomach growls.

"Ah! Yeah! We haven't gone home or to Ichiraku Ramen yet!" Naruto says while rubbing her grumbling stomach.

"Yeah, I'm a bit hungry after training from yesterday too…" Sakura says to her as Kakashi is looking at the two with sad eyes.

 _'Back then, they'd react to every little thing. They were cute back then…'_ He thought while sighing.

"Right! It'll be Kakashi-Sensei's treat!" Naruto suggests to the girl.

"Alright! Sensei!" Sakura shouts and turns to the man.

"Sorry. I have to create and submit a list of formations of the new teams. So it's goodbye for now," he tells them as he disappears before their eyes.

"Ahh! He ran away!" Naruto shouted while looking at the cloud of smoke he left behind.

"Saying something like that, he's just thinking to continue reading the book, probably…" Sakura tells her.

"Hehe, so, the two of us are on our own, with no man to escort us, how about we go in halvesies…" Naruto starts saying then Sakura interrupts.

"Ok, but it's all your treat!" She tells her and the girl frowns when she looks inside her almost empty Froggy purse. Shikamaru starts walking towards them with Tamari walking besides him.

"Shikamaru! Tamari-san! Hey! Who do you think it is?!" She shouts to get their attention, while pointing at Naruto.

"Hey! If it isn't Naruto!" Shikamaru shouts with a grin on his face.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouts back gleefully.

 _'This girl, is that runt…?'_ Tamari thinks as she noticed the big change in the girl.

"Did you just come home then?" Shikamaru asks.

"No, I came back yesterday," Naruto tells them as she gives him a hug.

"Hehe, so has any of your idiocy left you? And have you changed? Well?" Shikamaru asks.

"No, she hasn't changed at all," Sakura says while waving her hand back and forth. "She did have two kids though."

"Sakura-chaaaaaan!" Naruto whines at the girl.

"Oh, I know," Shikamaru tells her and her jaw drops.

"So, are you on a date?" Naruto asks him in a quiet tone with a sneer on her lips.

"That's not it," he tells her as Tamari walks closer to them.

"You're joking. Why would I go out with such a…There's a Chuunin exam soon. I'm just going back and forth between the Sand and the Leaf for meetings." Tamari explains as she negates even liking Shikamaru even though Naruto knows otherwise.

"And it's troublesome, but I've become an examiner, so, I was told to go and see off the messengers from the Sand," he tells her.

"A Chuunin exam…? That brings back memories…" Naruto says as she looks off into space.

"Yeah!...and Naruto, what are you planning?" Sakura asks her.

"What do you mean?" She wonders what the girls getting at.

"What, you say, it's a Chuunin exam. The only one from our class who hasn't become a Chuunin is you," she says and Shikamaru and Tamari shake their heads at the girl.

"No she isn't," Tamari tells her.

"She's right, Naruto took it a few months after she had the twins," Shikamaru says and Sakura's eyes widen.

"What?! He knows about them?" She complains and then realizes what was said, "How the heck did you manage that?"

"She took it when me and Gaara were doing ours," Tamari said, "Kankuro already took it on the next one after all of that happened, but since I was on a mission and Gaara was getting trained to control the one tail better we couldn't join him."

"That still doesn't explain how you both knew about Naruto having Sasuke's kids," Sakura whines.

"That's because it was us that protected her along with a few other people in the last legs of her pregnancy and labor," Shikamaru tells her like it was no big deal. "Where is the little rug rats anyway?"

"They're spending time with Granny since she hasn't seen them in six months," Naruto tells him and Tamari looked excited when she hears this.

"So you mean that I get to see them?" She says as she starts bouncing on her toes.

"Yeah, sure. They are probably bugging Granny into teaching them a new Jutsu again," when she says this Shikamaru slaps his hand to his head and Sakura's jaw drops.

"Wait a minute; just how much do they know how to do, now?" She wonders as she thinks of the fact that the kids are both Naruto's and Sasuke's meaning they will be brilliant geniuses before they even went into the academy.

"I lost count," Naruto tells her and she looks at her. "The last Jutsu they learned completely was the one Gaara taught them after his ceremony to become Kazekage."

~3~

Naruto and the twins are eating lunch with Iruka-Sensei at Ichiraku Ramen, much to the dismay of Futarou who would rather have Udon instead of Ramen. Thankfully for the little boy, Ichiraku asked him what he wanted and even decided to whip him up some, just for him. "I can't believe that you have already done the Chuunin exams, I thought you were the only one who hasn't yet."

"Nah, Ero Sennin said that it might be best if I at least gotten even stronger and in his opinion going for the Chuunin would be the best. He wanted to make sure that I would be able to protect the twins even though we taught them as much while training, when they started to learn to walk," Naruto said as she swallowed her mouthful of noodles, grinning down at Shina as she hums and bounces on her stool while slurping down her noodles. "I can say that Ero Sennin has no mercy even for the twins!" She wiggled her headband up and down, "This head protector you gave me, too. The cloth got all worn out. So I got it replaced along with my clothes that were also worn out!"

"But because of that amazing training you've gotten a lot stronger, right? You should be happy about that right?" Iruka said and closes his full mouth when Shina and Futarou glare at him.

"Don't talk with your mouth full," they said in unison.

"Yeah! I'm probably stronger than you now, Iruka-Sensei!" She says as she grins down at the twins.

"What are you talking about?! I wouldn't lose just yet…" He tells her.

"Ah, that's right! I went to visit Gaara a few days before he was given the Kazekage title; he was shocked with the twins and ended up teaching them a new Jutsu!" She tells him and he grins while looking at the two who were now busy finishing up their meals.

"Yeah…that boy's a little special, you know?" He tells her while watching the two takes their last bites at the same time.

~3~

"You're late!" Naruto shouts at Kakashi, while the kids give him the stink eye.

"Well, this time I was delayed by filling out the paperwork for the new team…" He tells them as he rubs his head. "Why are the twins here?"

"Today we start our first mission as a new team!" Naruto says with a frown and looks down at the two. "There's no one that is strong enough to watch them since Granny is busy today so they will have to go on the mission with us, but don't worry, they're strong enough to take care of themselves not counting," she stops herself as she creates hand signs and summons two huge foxes that immediately wrap themselves around the two. "We have extra protection for them. You need to be more enthusiastic that we're going on a mission together again!"

"Oh, let it go! There's nothing he can do about the fact that he has a face devoid of any enthusiasm!" Sakura tells her and Kakashi glares at the girl.

 _'I'm…losing my dignity, aren't I?'_ He thought, and then looks to the sky as a fast flying messenger hawk flies up above.

~3~

The three are standing before Granny Tsunade and Naruto's face twists in displeasure. "Ehhh! That mission…no thanks!" She refuses.

"Eh?! What kind of response is that? Well?!" Tsunade asks as Futarou is sitting on her lap writing on a piece of paper.

 _'Please don't talk to selfishly, she'll get angry at me…'_ Kakashi pleads to the girl inside of his head.

"Gah, Naruto, you haven't mentally matured at all, have you?" Iruka asks, while rubbing his head with one hand while the other is balancing Shina on his lap, the two are flanked by the two huge foxes.

"Sor…sorry, Sensei! I'll sort her out!" Sakura says while grabbing the girl around the neck and giving her a noogie. _'I…idiot! You have no idea how terrible the fifth can be when saying those kinds of things…Gaaaragh!'_ Her inner person says with tears pouring down her face. Shina jumps down off of Iruka's lap and walks over to the two, looking up at Sakura she draws back her foot and kicks the girl in the leg, hard enough to make her fall but loose her grip around Naruto. "What the hell?!" She shouts as she glares back at the little girl.

"Don't you ever abuse my mommy again!" She yells out loud to the girl as she points her finger out enough to poke Sakura on her forehead. "Oceanic sized forehead!"

"Why you little!" Sakura growls out not noticing the winces that Iruka and Tsunade have on their faces when the girl almost touches the little girl, the huge fox gets up in a hurry to roar in Sakura's face, making her face pale.

"The third was more…sensible…" Naruto tells Tsunade as she rubs her neck while ignoring the others.

"Huh?! What did you say?!" Tsunade raises her voice to the girl, while handing a piece of paper to Kakashi.

"Hey, calm down!" Naruto says while walking closer to the older woman's desk. "I'm just tired of you treating me like I'm a Genin, which you do all the time even though I'm almost finished with the requirements to become a Jounin." The door slams open and a woman quickly enters shouting.

"It…it's bad! Fifth!" She stops, panting.

"What is it? You are so loud…" Tsunade tells her as she stares at her.

"The sand's Kazekage has been taken by an organization called Akatsuki! We just received the message!" The woman shouts, causing the team to stiffen up.

 _'Gaara…? Those guys again…?'_ Naruto thought about the two that came after her when she was looking for Tsunade.

"Right, team Kakashi, I will tell you your new mission." Tsunade said as she put the mission paper she was about to hand the team. "You are to go immediately to the Sand, find out the situation, and relay it to Konoha, after that, follow the orders of the Sand and back them up."


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I does not own thee Naruto nor the characters that thee original author has created. I doest not earn any moneys from writing any fanfiction that I hast writ. Yes, I am being weird shut up.

 **A/N:** Yessss, I am writing another one, and will continue until chapter five. I have to kind of keep my mind off of things right now and granted, my technology issues will probably continue for a little while. I hope you guys love this one since I know I will probably enjoy it in the long run and I have a feeling this one will be a looooooooong one.

 **Chapter Two**

"Well, off we go!" Naruto says as she adjusts her sleeves and looks over at the old woman who is placing the children on the backs of their guardians.

"Ok, Master Tsunade off we go," Sakura said as the two huge foxes move to stand right next to Naruto, who turns to adjust the kids straps on the foxes along with the packs that the fox carries. She has a feeling she will need her arsenal on this one. Tsunade grunts out as she realizes exactly what Naruto is bringing with her as Iruka is looking at his ex-pupil with worried eyes.

"Do your best!" He tells her with a small smile on his lips.

"Yeah!" She shouts at him over her shoulder and turns just as a figure lands right in front of them.

"Yo! Going on a mission eh Naruto?" He asks his student who smiles back at him.

"Yes sir!" She grins out as she salutes him.

"Um, more importantly, Tsunade, something terrible has happened. The Sand's Kazekage…" Tsunade stops him as she holds up her hand.

"I know…" She says as she looks at her old teammate. "I'm about to send these guys off to there now," she says as she points to the team.

"You 'do'…know about the 'thing' between the Akatsuki and Naruto right…?" He whispers into her ear, making her look at him. "Naruto, come here for a sec," he beckons the girl to him and she runs with the two foxes following her. "Be careful when it comes to the 'Akatsuki."

"They've got something against me so…this time, I'm coming after them," she says as she looks straight into his eyes, making Kakashi wonder exactly how she will be able to do this.

"Yeah, you have gotten stronger and all…but when you feel as though you're about to lose control, get a grip on yourself or you'll mess up. Becoming hot-headed too fast is your bad habit." When he stops speaking he looks at the girl who has a perturbed look on her face. "Naruto, I know you know but…don't use that Jutsu."

"I know…" she tells him as she looks down, Jiraiya walks over to Kakashi and looks into his eye.

"Kakashi, make sure Naruto doesn't do anything stupid. She's all yours," he tells the man putting all of his confidence into him.

"Yeah," Kakashi says while smiling at the man.

"Kakashi Sensei, Sakura-chan let's get a move on!" Naruto says as her and the foxes continue on walking.

"Wai-wait a minute Naruto!" Sakura tells the girl.

"See ya," Kakashi tells the others while waving at them.

"Geez," Jiraiya says while watching his pupil start on her journey. Iruka continues looking on with worry on his face.

"Worried?" Tsunade asks.

"Nah she is…she isn't the kind of weak Shinobi that I would worry about. Sakura too…" He says with a smile on his face. "The fact that she's bringing the kids is what worries me." Both of the others look at him with small smiles. "Maturity is a weird thing…"

~3~

Sakura's eyes widen when she notices a figure that is travelling along the road, "Tamari-san!" She shouts to get the girls attention.

"What?! Gaara…!" Temari's eyes flare wide when she's told about what happened to her little brother. "I had a bad feeling…"

"It'll take 3 days to reach the Sand from here, let's hurry," Kakashi tells her.

"Ok," she says and they all turn and start back to travelling. Naruto starts remember everything about the two that came to abduct her when she was younger and it makes her want to travel faster to get there quickly.

"Naruto, just because I said to hurry, you shouldn't split up the team. Don't get so heated, didn't Jiraiya-sama just tell you that?" He asks the girl.

"I can't stand it!" She grits out between her teeth, making the other's widen their eyes at her tone. "Even I know why they're after me and Gaara! You still don't know; do you, Sakura-chan?" She asks her teammate who is trailing behind her, making the Kakashi frown and Temari look at her with confused eyes. "Inside me, is sealed the demon fox Kyuubi…" Temari's eyes widen when she realizes the girl is so much like her little brother. "Me and Gaara, because we have monsters contained in our bodies, that's what they're after!" Temari now realizes exactly how much is at stake here and why this girl is going on a rescue mission for her little brother. "That's what I can't stand! Just seeing us as monsters, I can't stand them looking at us whatever way they feel like!" She grits out as her two kids are sleeping now on the backs of the two foxes that hold saddened expressions on their faces as their ears shoot each way, making sure that they aren't surprised along the way. "He and I are, the exact same, and he was, fighting, and he was lonelier that I was…!" With her saying this, Temari realizes how bad she and the others made Gaara feel as they were growing up. "He was targeted by Akatsuki. Just like I was before…! Even so! Why is it always him alone that has to have such a hard role?! Always him alone?! That's why! That's why I won't just sit around asking 'why'! This time, for definite, I want to save him!"

 _'Uzumaki Naruto…'_ Temari thought as a sad expression forms on her face. _'Thank you…'_ She thought to her as Naruto's eyes hold tears in them.

"Naruto…" Sakura says quietly as to not wake up the children. "You've gone through a lot, haven't you…? Itachi Uchiha and you are his target." Naruto's eyes widen when she realizes that Sakura knows a lot more than she figured. "I wasn't just training these two and a half years. I was looking through Tsunade's notes, and researched outside as much as I could." She pauses as she thought about what Sasuke said the first day that their team was together. "The enemy Sasuke-kun wants to kill, it's really his older brother, Itachi Uchiha, isn't it…? A member of Akatsuki…" She stops, thinking about the facts and events that happen between then and now. "Because of that, Sasuke is now with Orochimaru; to gain power…But Orochimaru just wants Sasuke's body, doesn't he? And all we have left is half of a year…"

 _'Sakura-chan, you too…'_ Naruto's eyes widen at exactly how much she knows about the whole situation.

"And Orochimaru was originally a member of Akatsuki…In other words, what I'm trying to say, is this," she says as the two on her team had their full attention on her. "As we get close to Akatsuki, we get closer to information about Orochimaru. And therefore, we get closer to Sasuke-kun. And our time limit to rescue Sasuke-kun is about a half a year…"

"Yeah!" Naruto confirms as she looks straight ahead.

 _'And after that is Itachi Uchiha, our worst enemy, who causes suffering for Sasuke-kun, and targets Naruto…This time, I will save those two…!'_ Sakura thought as her eyes narrow.

~3~

A Shinobi is waiting at the entrance to the Sand village and notices who is with them. "Temari-san was with you? We have been waiting. Please, this way!"

"Right!" Naruto shouts as they all hurry to follow him.

"But, the Kazekage was abducted, after that, Kankurou pursued them, but he was wounded…" The Shinobi tells them.

"What?! They got Kankurou too?!" Temari shouts.

"Yes, and he was caught by the enemy's poison. And we have no way to neutralize it, at this rate, he has half a day at the most…" As he tells them this both Temari and Naruto start looking worried.

"Shit…!" Temari grits out.

"Let's hurry, Temari-san…" Sakura tells her and she looks at the pink haired girl over her shoulder. "I'll examine him!" The group hurries into the medical ward where the others are waiting, while Kankurou is unconscious on the bed.

"Kankurou!" Temari shouts and they run into the room, Sakura throws her bag to the side while Naruto and the two foxes skid to a stop at the door, with Kakashi making sure that the two little kids are okay.

 _'Tha…that's…!'_ The older woman in the room's eyes widens as she looks at Kakashi. "The White Fang of Konoha!" She rushes at him, causing his eyes to widen. Before she could get a hit on him, Naruto drops her bag to create a Shadow clone, catching her fists, stopping her attack. Everyone's eyes widens when they notice that the woman was on the attack. She slides on the floor stopping herself.

"Why are you going at Kakashi-Sensei so suddenly for?! You wrinkled old hag!" She shouts at the woman. _'This hag, she's pretty 'good'…!'_

"I remember that time, that the White Fang of Konoha…! My son's enemy, I will get my revenge for him today!" She says as she glares at him.

"Ah! No, I'm not…!" Kakashi starts saying but she doesn't want to listen.

"There's no use arguing!" She shouts at him about to attack again when her brother stands in between them to stop her.

"Sister, take a good look. There's a strong resemblance, but he isn't the White Fang of Konoha," he tells her and she looks at the young man before them.

"No waaaay! I was just pretending to be stupid! Gyahaha!" She chuckles heavily as Kakashi looks on in relief.

"More importantly, Kankurou-san needs to be quickly…!" Sakura says.

"Please!" Temari begs her and she starts working on him immediately, drawing the poison from Kankurou's body.

"Got it!" She says as she holds a ball of water with bits of poison floating in the center of her palm. "Heh, I don't think there's any need to worry about his life anymore. I've directly removed the poison." When she says this, Temari slides down the wall in relief that her brother is out of danger. "Now I have to make an antidote for the little bit of poison left in his body. We can't relax yet. Please gather what I say!" Sakura tells the ones who have been helping her.

 _'Sakura-chan, you're great…!'_ Naruto says as she is rocking Futarou, while Shina is picked up by Temari, cuddling the sleepy little girl to her chest.

"You're a lot like that slug woman that a girl like you would come…" The old woman mutters out loud.

"Yes! It's because Lady Tsunade is my master. And my master said that I should come here." Sakura said as she smiles while putting a hand to her chest, making the woman observe her.

"Sister, time really is slowly flowing by…" Her brother tells her.

"Right! But we're not gonna be slow! Let's go right after Akatsuki!" Naruto shouts as one of the nurse maids that Gaara had appointed as the ones who would watch and protect the twins while they were in the Sand village gently takes the boy from Naruto's arms before he would wake up.

~3~

"As soon as Sakura's done with that, let's get going!" Naruto says as she comes back from tucking the twins into a bed, stretches as she was holding Futarou the whole time Sakura was working on Kankurou.

"Naruto, hold on a bit." Kakashi says interrupting her. "Um, excuse me; there is something I would like to ask. What came of the pursuit of the Akatsuki after that?"

"Kankurou went alone after them. There were no others," their Sensei tells him.

"Then have we completely lost them?" Kakashi asks.

"Yes, we have," the man tells him as he looked own in shame.

"Hmm, well, could you please guide me to where Kankurou-kun was fighting? Though I might not seem it, I am an expert at pursuit, even if a small amount of their scent is left behind…" Kakashi says until a voice behind him stops him.

"That is…not necessary. There are two enemies," Kankurou says as he struggles to sit up. "One abducted Gaara; you should follow Gaara's scent. Even assuming they split up, the other caught a bit of their clothing on Karasu's hand."

"Making a success from a failure, you are indeed a Shinobi of the Sand," Kakashi tells the boy.

"Kankurou, are you ok?!" Temari worries about him.

"Yeah, I'm feeling a bit better now…" He tells his sister while his eyes lay onto the blond standing there. _'Uzumaki…Naruto…?'_

"Hiya…" Naruto says to him with a smirk on her lips.

"Kankurou, are you absolutely sure that one of the two you followed was Sasori?" The old woman asks him.

"Chiyo-baasama, and Ebisou-jiisama?!" He says as he looks at the two elders who normally wouldn't leave their little hideaway.

"What about that, Kankurou?" The almost ancient man asks.

"Yeah, it was Sasori of the Red Sand, he said it himself." Kankurou said as the others looked on.

"Sasori of the Red Sand…? May we hear more about the Akatsuki? Please," Kakashi asks him while Sakura arrives back into the room with the antidote, putting it to his lips.

"Drink it all up..." She tells him as he swallows it. "I believe you'll be fine now. Now, until the paralysis ends please don't move. Please get some sleep."

"Right! Let's hurry!" Naruto says while picking up her backpack. She looks over her shoulder at the other aids spread around, "Please, take care of my kids; they are my most important people in my life." She tells them and they grin at her while Kankuro smiles gently, realizing that the little angels that he and his siblings fell in love with so quickly is there. He looks down at his shaking hand, trying to clench it. He remembers the conversation that he had with Gaara and how his little brother's views have changed. All because of the girl before him.

"Uzumaki Naruto…" He says her name, getting everyone's attention. "Please save my brother." He asks her as he looks into her bright blue eyes.

"Leave it all to me!" She tells him with a smile on her lips. "Because I will be Hokage someday too! So I'll secure an advance favor from the Kazekage!" She tells him even though they know that Gaara owes a lot more to this girl.

~3~

"If you wait a little, we can have a skilled Ninja here too," one of the Shinobi's tells them as they followed them to the entrance to the Sand village.

"Really," Kakashi says looking at them.

"I'm going too!" Temari says as she desperately wants to save her little brother.

"Temari, stay here and work on defense of the country border." Chiyo-baasan tells her as she looks down from the walls. "From the Shinobi of the Sand, I am more than enough."

"But…! Chiyo-baasama!" Temari protests.

"That would be too much for you," the man tells the older woman.

"Don't treat me like an old woman!" She says as she jumps off the top.

"She jumped!" One of them shouts and the team reacts differently when she lands on the ground. Sakura and Naruto are so shocked as they watch her while Kakashi is speechless at the older woman's agility.

"I've wanted to give my cute grandson some love for a while now," she tells them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor any of the characters that the author has created, just my cute little additions to the story.

 **A/N:** Yup, I have decided to continue writing while I'm dealing with insomnia. So, since I'm not able to sleep, I've decided to watch some Naruto and while I'm doing that I'm writing up a storm. I hope you all love this one~:

Lookie, can't get reviews if I put them out this damn quick, Teehee.

 **Chapter Three**

The team is following a river as it flows towards where they are traveling to. "Naruto, can I ask you something?" When the blond looks back at her she continues, "Since when did Akatsuki start targeting you?"

"I don't know," she said as she thought of the two who were the ones who tried to abduct her.

"A while ago, two of Akatsuki's agents infiltrated the Leaf in order to contact Naruto. It's been three years since then, and they've started moving. Though, I can't quite see the motive behind this," Kakashi tells the girl.

"Why did they wait 3 years?" Sakura asks, while Chiyo listened to their conversation.

"Maybe it was that they couldn't take action, rather than choosing not to. She always had Jiraiya-sama on her side," he tells the girl.

"Well, from what I've gathered, I heard there were other reasons. It requires considerable preparation to separate a Bijuu that is sealed within a person. I assume that's what hampered their effort," Chiyo muses.

"A 'tailed beast'?" Sakura asks.

"What! You call yourself Tsunade's apprentice and you don't know that?" She taunts the girl.

"The information regarding the 'Kyuubi' is top secret material in Leaf, so," Kakashi stops his explanation since everyone gets the drift.

"Well, I suppose so," Chiyo agrees as Sakura looks at her. "The 'Bijuu' are in fact magical beasts possessing tails; the Sands always possessed the 'Ichibi'. That is the guardian raccoon sealed within Gaara-sama," she muses.

"A 'one tail'? So there are other different kinds aside from the 'nine tail'," Sakura wonders out loud.

"Indeed. There are a total of…nine 'Bijuu' in this world," she explains and Naruto listens to her just as closely as she can, while watching for anything that could stop them from going after Gaara. "Each beast differs in characteristics depending on the number of tails they have. 'Ichibi' possesses a single tail; 'Nibi' possesses two, and so on until the 'Kyuubi'. Each possessing a number of tails according to their name. The 'Bijuu' are a monstrous formation of Chakra. During the great Ninja war, every hidden village attempted to acquire the power for military purposes. They competed to obtain these beasts. However, no one can control such power beyond the ability of men. I've yet to know of why Akatsuki attempts to acquire such power, it is too dangerous. Well, even through the time of peace, the ages shift on. I've heard that all the 'Bijuu' are scattered across the world." As soon as she finishes it seems that the others are mulling in their own thoughts.

"Everyone halt!" Kakashi shouts as he saw Itachi's figure standing a little bit ahead of them. They all land on the floor of the forest, right in front of the young man.

"Who?" Sakura asks as she stares at the figure in the black robe that has red cloud patterns all over it.

"Right from the beginning," Kakashi says as his brows narrow.

"This guy…those eyes…" Chiyo says as she stares at the red Sharingan eyed male.

"Uchiha…Itachi!" Naruto says as she narrows her eyes at the male who is looking at her directly in the eyes and they gentled when his reaches hers.

~3~

After he uses his eyes onto her and brings her into his Genjutsu, allowing him to read her thoughts which make his eyes widen as he saw the two sprites that are now filling her thoughts along with Gaara and Sasuke. "I see that you have done one thing that Sasuke wants," he tells her as they both saw the images of the twins appearing right besides them. "Look at the mixture of three great families in those two," he chuckles as he kneels down to trace the still images, making tears come to his eyes. He sniffs as he stands back up as she walks a little bit closer to him. "Naruto, just do me a favor and let me be the one to tell him about them?" He tells the girl whose eyes widen when he says that. "I want to tell him when he comes for me, so that he realizes exactly what the elders forced the third Hokage to do and so that he realizes that not all of the Uchiha's are dead. They both have the ability of your father, your mother, and Sasuke's, did you know? Not counting I see that they have the same seal, but with different sealing on them. How is it they have those?"

"They were born with it, Itachi. They've got the children of Kyuubi inside of them," she says as she smiles at the images besides them. "I know you won't let Akatsuki know about this so I don't mind telling you, but what are you doing here?"

"I have to play my part until Sasuke fights me and then it will be finished and passed on to him. Just remember that I won't kill you nor take you to Akatsuki, but I have to have Sasuke kill me," he says and turns to look at the image of what his brother looked like a few years ago. "He's changed a lot now, you know? I don't think it's for the worst, unless someone tries to warp him, he should be a better version of himself. Stronger than Orochimaru will realize as well," he says and looks at the girl. "You have changed so much as well, I don't think Sasuke would really recognize you unless he was fully looking for you. Protect those two and remember, fight me seriously even though this isn't my real body," he says as they fade out of his Genjutsu.

~3~

 _'Th…this person is Itachi…Uchiha!'_ Sakura stares at the man with wide eyes.

"Itachi, ho, this is…the child who killed his entire family…?" Chiyo says as his face becomes clearer to her.

"It has been a while, Kakashi-san, Naruto-chan," he says to them both.

 _'The same Sharingan as, Sasuke-kun…! This person is the one who inflicts suffering on Sasuke and Naruto…'_ Sakura thinks as she starts getting really angry.

"You bastard…" Naruto says as she plays her part. "Not just me, but even Gaara?! I'll beat you all down!" Naruto shouts and points at him, making him start to raise his hand, causing Kakashi's eyes to widen.

"Everyone, don't look directly at his eyes…! It's dangerous!" Kakashi shouts at the others making them more alert at the power of the Sharingan. Itachi creates a sign while everyone stops looking directly at the man.

"Well, what should we do?!" Sakura asks.

"Judge his movements from the movements of his body and feet. Itachi's Genjutsu is an eye Jutsu, in other words, it's a vision-type. You'll be fine if you avoid eye contact," he tells her and her eyes waver around, trying to avoid the man's at all cost.

"That's really difficult," she tells him.

"Hmm, the Uchiha clan, it's been a long time since I've fought a Sharingan," Chiyo said as she seems like she doesn't have any issue on not looking into the others eyes. "Well, there's no need to be overwhelmed. There are many tactics for fighting this eye Jutsu…"

"What should we do?!" Naruto asks her as she is wondering how this fight will end out without being able to look into the man's eyes.

"'If it's one on one, surely flee. If it's two on one, take the rear'." She says with a smile as she remembers an old tactic back in her days.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks her as she scratches the side of her face.

"If it's two on one, even if one is caught in the Genjutsu, there's one more to go behind the opponent. If they hit the real body, then the Genjutsu is unraveled. Even if that's impossible, they can help their partner by cancelling the Genjutsu themselves. That is, if there are multiple opponents, one person can divert, and the other can move behind, to the Sharingan's blind spot, and attack," Chiyo explains.

"I see," Sakura says as she looks at the man's feet.

"Yeah, the old hag **is** useful!" Naruto says with a smirk on her lips.

"Well, that's alright for a normal Genjutsu level, but in this case, it will be a little more trouble," Kakashi says.

"What do you mean?" Chiyo asks him.

"He uses an eye Jutsu that surpasses the original Sharingan, the 'Mangekyou Sharingan'. If you are struck by that eye Jutsu, his Genjutsu can affect you in an instant. There is no cancelling the effects of it," Kakashi explains to the elder.

"A troublesome person, what in the world is he?" She wonders out loud.

"That's Kakashi-san for you. That, after having been affected by my Tsukuyomi just once," Itachi says as he observes the male who is just a few years older than him.

"That's not all, after you used that eye Jutsu, you became weary and you immediately left the fight," Kakashi tells him as he thinks back to his fight with both Itachi and Kisame. "Besides the fact that it requires a considerable amount of Chakra, it also presents a great risk to your eyes as well doesn't it, Itachi?"

"Well analyzed, given that you have only fought me once," he says as he is proud of the man who now has one Sharingan eye.

"Itachi," Kakashi says as he lifts his head band up. "How far has, your eyesight deteriorated?" When he asks this Itachi's eyes widen as he realizes that the man knows more about the Sharingan than he originally thought. He watched him open his Sharingan activated eye.

"Kakashi-san, impossible, you..." He stops himself.

"Well! Last time I was unprepared, but I'm not like that this time. This won't go the same way as it did last time," he says while the other two in his team are shocked.

"If you think I'll be the same as before as well, you're making a huge mistake!" Naruto says as she grins at the man.

"Naruto, I'll handle him," Kakashi tells her, making her give him a dirty look.

"If I don't get to fight again, where's the teamwork?!" Naruto shouts at the man, irritated.

"No, this time I want you to cover me. Really, I want to say 'hurry ahead' brashly, but…even with me as his opponent, I can't handle him by myself," he tells her and she grins at him.

"We'll kindly ask you to come with us now, Naruto-chan," Itachi says while pointing at the girl.

"You'll have to face me first," Kakashi says as Naruto just stands there. He raised his fist to punch the young man and saw movement from the corner of his eye, making him look to see a Shadow Clone zip by him. "A Shadow Clone!" He shouts and Naruto creates the Rasengan, hitting the clone squarely into his stomach.

 _'This one was a Shadow Clone too…!'_ The girl thought as she is covered from the smoke as the clone disappears. Her eyes widen when she looked around her to see the team completely knocked out on the ground. _'What?!'_ Her jaw drops as she saw Sakura groaning on the ground. "Sa…Sakura…" She stutters out as the girl struggles to her feet, but when the girl stands up completely, her body changes to Itachi. The other two stand up as well, changing into Itachi, making the girl grit her teeth and she takes multiple Kunai's out and throws them directly into their chests causing them to fly back.

Before the replica's could hit the ground, their bodies break apart, turning into crows, causing the birds to fly around her, swarming, until a bunch of them combine. "Dammit, even though I wasn't looking at his eyes…!" She says as she watches the birds form into Itachi. "Shit…! This Genjutsu, how…?!"

"It's not just these eyes that I can use to cast Genjutsu. If I just have one finger, that is enough," he said as he raises his hand, making her realize that when he pointed at her, he then used Genjutsu on her.

 _'It was then…?'_ She realizes as she grunts.

"Don't worry, I won't use the Mangekyou Sharingan, or, it would be more correct to say that I can't use it at the moment," he tells her and she grows confused, watching his hands creating signs. "Alright, now, just drop off to sleep for me." He says to her, making her mind go back to her lessons years ago from Jiraiya-sensei, she places her hands together and quickly raises up her Chakra level, causing Itachi to be shocked. _'She's grown,'_ he thinks and sighs, "but, still weak." After he says this the crows start coming straight at him, turning into Shuriken's with one of them cutting her cheek, as the others hit her, all over her body, causing her to bleed all over.

 _'This is…Genjutsu, I can overcome it!'_ She thinks as she winces. The skin on her cheek starts to peel as her eyes slits in the pupil, continuous peeling reveals Sasuke's transformed face on half of hers. Making her cry out until Sasuke makes her right hand come up and start choking her.

"Since I missed killing you that time," he says, causing Naruto to grab her other hand, trying to stop it from choking her, when a head struggles to get out of her jacket.

"Why…didn't you stop Sasuke-kun? Even though I trusted you…" Sakura's head says, making Naruto start to freak out as another head starts coming out of her shoulder.

"You couldn't protect your comrades, could you? Even though I had faith in you, you let me down," Kakashi says, showing his eye that's full of disappointment. Causing Naruto to start shaking as she looks at her only free hand that now has Gaara's eye and the mark on his forehead.

"It's always you who profits, you're always the only one getting the good luck," Gaara tells her, making her eyes tear up as she pants, closing her eyes, making the tear flow down her cheek.

Suddenly, it seems like the whole setting changes, making Naruto's eyes widen as Chiyo and Sakura starts pushing their Chakra into her body. She looks around her and notices that Kakashi is just now starting to fight Itachi. "Are you alright, Naruto?!" He asks the girl as he slides on feet.

"I…" She couldn't finish what she was going to say.

"It was Genjutsu, it's alright now," Sakura assures her.

"It seems he, doesn't just use eye Jutsu," Chiyo tells everyone as she looks at the other two.

"Right, it's finally time for the last battle. Put your all into it, Naruto!" Kakashi shouts at the girl.

"Hey! Get a hold of yourself!" Sakura shouts at Naruto when she slaps the blond, making Naruto look at her.

"Naruto, I'll show you how to do it," Kakashi says as he continues facing Itachi, making Naruto's eyes widen. Kakashi's eyes widen as Itachi quickly creates seals, sending a giant fireball at the man. It continues past where Kakashi was standing and the other three jumps out of the way, Naruto slides as the big ball of fire explodes on a tree.

 _'Aha! That's definitely our Kakashi-sensei!'_ Naruto smirks as she realizes the man has burrowed under the ground, making his way to Itachi trying to hit him with an upper cut, which the younger man avoids only to grab Kakashi's shirt sleeve, yanking his fist out of its pathway.

Itachi throws a punch towards the man, who ends up ducking to avoid it. _'Goukakyuu, but, something's been…'_ Kakashi thinks as he observes the younger male, realizing that something is just not right. Seeing the Genjutsu didn't work all that well, Itachi allows the older male to grab him by his arm.

"No wonder, I wouldn't expect you to be affected by the Genjutsu, this is a Kage Bunshin," Itachi says as he watches Kakashi come out of the ground.

"Handle him and my Kage Bunshin! Naruto!" Kakashi shouts.

"Got it!" Naruto shouts back as her and one of her clones rush towards Itachi making his eyes widen when he noticed that she's starting to show her beast all over her face and the fact that she's holding a good sized Rasengan. She hits both of the men, causing a crater to form behind them.

"A…amazing…" Sakura says with wide eyes.

 _'Wow, this kid!'_ Chiyo thinks as she continues watching in awe. Kakashi is looking on with Naruto who is surprised since the man is smiling proudly at her. Once the ball disappears they all take a look at what should have been Itachi, Naruto grunts out. "This…this is…"

"Was it…their Jutsu…or what…?" Sakura wonders as she looks down at the body before them.

"I had a bad feeling about it in the middle," Kakashi says.

"What could it be…?!" Naruto wonders as she frowns her lips.

"He…" She stops herself.

"Do you know this person?" Kakashi asked her.

"Yeah, Yuura…he's a Jounin from my village." She looks down at the now dead man.

"From the Sand…? What does that mean?" Sakura wonders.

"Even I don't know," Chiyo says as she is confused about this.

"Possibly he could have been an Akatsuki spy," Sakura suggests.

"No way, he's been working hard as a leader for four whole years," Chiyo denies.

"Was he impersonating Itachi with the Henge?" Naruto asks as she leans down to move the man's body from his back to his front.

"No, this isn't that level of Jutsu, the Goukakyuu is a Jutsu that the Uchiha clan worked out well and used well. And that Jutsu was the real thing," Kakashi tells the girl as he watches her wondering what she is doing. Naruto forms Chakra around her hand and cuts the robe off of the man, revealing his clothes that he has worn while he lived in the Sand village. She lowered his collar and showed a symbol that looked like it was burned into his skin.

"That's…" Chiyo's eyes widened and she holds disappointment in her eyes.

"Yup, he was willingly under a Genjutsu," Naruto told the older woman. "I've had to deal with a lot of different kinds of people these days and this is different than the ones that Orochimaru would send after me, the burn mark is a different shape so I'm guessing it's because of Itachi using it on him and that is his mark."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Here's another one you guys, and Yayyyy I finally got a review, lol.

 **Melyway:** I'm glad you like it, XD.

 **RoseRozu:** You've technically already seen a good bit of her kids well grandkids, the ones that Naruto summoned when the Sennin were fighting, and those two are the ones who are guarding the twins are the same two, I haven't really had them talking yet but you will see that soon. I have been reviewing a good bit of the last story and have noticed a lot of grammar and non-descriptiveness throughout the whole story, so I've been beating myself up on the screw ups that are shouting out to me. I will be working on that a lot so you might want to keep an eye on how it is in the story. The differences between both these stories and the one's of my own making that is on Wattpad shows the bigger changes that I've had and I'm just glad my writing is getting better. Kind of a little on the gory side on one of the stories but with what kind it is it needs to be.

 **Chapter Four**

"Beaten again, looks like the real ones at the hideout, his objective was to delay and gather information about us, and those bastards have good Jutsu indeed." Kakashi said as they all look at the dead body.

 _'I have no idea how long…Naruto…you've had people like this as your opponents,'_ Sakura muses as she watches the blond haired girl.

"Indeed, this was clearly stalling. There's no mistake about it, they've already started to extract the Bijuu!" Chiyo said as she continues to look at the burn mark on the man's neck. "Perhaps they wish to use the 'Ichibi' Shukaku to make a new Jinchuuriki."

"There's no time them, we must hurry to save Gaara," Kakashi tells everyone.

"Yes," she says to him.

"Tailed…beasts…?" Sakura mutters making the other two wonder if she's really taking in anything that they have been saying.

"Like I said, since the Bijuu have inconceivable power. Every country wanted to use them for military affairs," Chiyo said. "A 'Jinchuuriki is...so to speak, something that exists to control that power."

"But you said before that nobody at all could control that power," Sakura tells the old woman.

"That is how it is, yes, but still, over time people have tried to control that power. By sealing the Bijuu in humans," Chiyo tells her and the two youngest in the team eyes widen. "By doing that, the overwhelming power of the Bijuu is compressed and that power could be directed," Naruto touched her stomach as she thought of the Kyuubi. "And the ones who had Bijuu sealed in them that is to say, people like Gaara were called Jinchuuriki. The feature of Jinchuuriki is that they resonate with Bijuu and can use inconceivable power. Including Gaara, in the history of the Sand, three Jinchuuriki have appeared so far."

"These Jinchuuriki were used many times for war, weren't they…?" Sakura asked.

"That's right," she says looking at the girl.

"Then! The ones made into Jinchuuriki…" Sakura pauses to calm herself down. "How do you…remove a Bijuu…?" When she asks this, Naruto looks at her with shocked eyes.

"If, for even an instant, a sealing Jutsu which releases the exact amount of power to match up with the Bijuu's is used, that takes a considerable amount of time. But, if that were to be done, the Jinchuuriki would…" She pauses, making everyone think about what she said earlier; about the Jinchuuriki's dying if their Bijuu was taken out.

"You mean…" Sakura stops and the other two hold solemn looks on their faces.

"Yes, if the Bijuu is extracted, that Jinchuuriki will…die. The two I mentioned before, the Jinchuuriki of the Sand apart from Gaara, had the Shukaku extracted from their bodies, and this caused their deaths," she tells them and Sakura's eyes tear up.

"You're always being moved to tears, Sakura-chan, I told you not to worry," Naruto tells her and Sakura looks at her with tears falling. "Because I'll rescue Gaara!" She tells the pink haired girl with a smile on her face.

"Naruto…! It's you…I'm…" Sakura says but the blond cuts her off.

"C'mon, let's hurry!" Naruto says as she adjusts her pack on her back.

 _'Naruto,'_ Sakura cries as she watches the taller girls back.

~3~

As they continued on, Naruto thought deeply in her mind everything that happened throughout the years for both her and Gaara. She thought about all the friends that she's gained as they were children and the fact that he was all alone. She then thought about gaining not only friends but family and hopes that she could add him to those few of hers.

As she was thinking of it, Kyuubi was along for the journey, wishing she could have made it easier for her and talked to Gaara's Bijuu so that he could have been easier on Gaara. As she was thinking this she didn't realize she was getting so emotional about it that she started to fill Naruto's Chakra pathways with her own Chakra, making the change start on Naruto's face. Doing this wasn't unnoticed by Chiyo as she is observing the girl while they are travelling.

 _'Th…this child,'_ she thought as she watches Naruto land on a branch with not even a bit of strain being shown.

"Naruto, hold on!" Sakura shouts at her, trying to get her to slow down.

"Why does that child want to…go this far to save Gaara, who's not of her village?" When she asks this, Kakashi looks at her. "Moreover, what could…"

"She is also a Jinchuuriki, the Kyuubi was sealed in her," Kakashi interrupts her and she gasps out. "Indeed, to Naruto, she's not doing this for the Sand. But, she is a Jinchuuriki, just like Gaara-kun. More than anyone in the Sand, Naruto has understood his feelings. The kind of treatment a Jinchuuriki receives, since no matter the village, there's no difference. That's why she won't let herself let Gaara go. Konoha and the Sand to her, that doesn't matter. To Naruto, Gaara-kun is a companion who knows the same pain as her." Chiyo stares at the young girl, now realizing how much the two have in common, for the most part.

"Naruto's dream is to become Hokage, when she saw Gaara had become Kazekage; she seemed fairly disappointed in herself." Kakashi said as he explains the girl. "But, on the other hand, Naruto was also congratulatory and gave her own blessing after the ceremony took place, from the depths of her heart. Naruto has a mysterious power…" Kakashi stops himself, making Chiyo wonder what he is about to say. "Even without saying much, she can become friends with anyone.

"I've lived life, and seen many things. I've even learned some of the ways of the world itself. And when I learned alliances with other countries were just in name, I worked out a method to protect the Sand," she stops and sighs deeply. "I was the one…who used the Jutsu and sealed Shukaku into Gaara. I did it to protect the village, but the result was that it caused hardship for the village and without trusting the alliances, a village we avoided…is currently trying to save us. What I did, was possibly entirely mistaken…Furthermore, I've gotten senile, to the point where I give up easily…" She stopped to gather her thoughts to herself. "Kakashi…Youth, is something that holds such possibilities…I'm envious…"

"Hey hey, you've still a way to go from here. And you're young enough, aren't you?" He tells her making her laugh and him smile at how free her laughter sounds to her.

"Well then, maybe a senile fool like me still has some ability," she says and her face turns serious. _'Still some…'_

~3~

Gai and his team are standing in front of the entrance to the Akatsuki hideout; one of the seals for the barrier is standing in front of them. "What should we do?" Lee asks him.

"First, we have to break the barrier! Lee!" He shouts to him to get ready.

"How do we do that?" Tenten wonders as she stares back at the others.

"That's a 'five seal barrier'," said one of the figures that lands right behind the team, causing all of them to turn and look at them.

"You're late, Kakashi," Gai says to him while he smiles at his rival.

"Eh, well, we ran into a bit of trouble on the way," he replies vaguely.

"Naruto-chan! Sakura-chan!" Lee shouts in glee at seeing the both of them.

"Yo!" Naruto shouts as her eyes are still red from the infused power of Kyuubi.

"Kakashi, I hope you're not talking about me," Chiyo tells the young man.

"Naruto…" Neji stares at the girl with relief that she is back, the last time he saw her was when he was guarding her with a bigger group for the last bit of her pregnancy. He grew attached to the girl afterwards and even enjoys looking after her kids.

"Everyone, you were one step ahead of us, weren't you?" Sakura asks the team.

"Who's that old lady?" Tenten asks.

"Ah, an adviser from the Sand!" Sakura says.

"Right! Let's go for it, Kakashi!" Gai says as he looks at his friend.

"Alright!" Kakashi says and they all line up, taking a good look at the seal. Naruto nods her head and looks at everyone.

"Well, I think I'll disappear, since I'll just be in the way if I stay, I wouldn't really be any help," Pakkun tells Kakashi.

"Pakkun, good work," he tells his summon who ends up disappearing.

"Right! First off, this barrier, eh, Kakashi? How do we take it out?" Gai asks.

"That would be Naruto's field of expertise," he says and they all look at the young woman with surprised eyes as she looks at the seal for a second and smiles.

"This particular 'five seal barrier' is created by tokens with 'kin' written on them placed in 5 places in the vicinity," she pauses as she touches the barrier making it ripple over the rock that is holding this one seal. "The 'kin' token you see in front of you, and the other tokens are in the four other places. To remove the barrier, all of them must be detached." She turns to look at both Kakashi and Neji. "Fortunately, we have someone with us that can find the other four. So where are they? The other four?"

"Neji-kun," Kakashi cues the teen who nods.

"Understood," Neji says as he starts boosting his Chakra so that he could activate his Byakugan. "Found them, on top of a rock about 500 meters Northeast from here…On the trunk of a tree, on a river bank, 350 meters Southeast…On a wall of rock about 650 meters Northwest…Inside a grove about 800 meters Southwest…"

"Right! If it's that range, we'll use these radios!" Gai said as he winks at his team. "While we're taking Neji's directions, we can keep in communication, and we'll find the locations of the tokens!" Everyone started putting their radios on, hooking it either to their head bands or a band that they could fasten around their necks.

"Radio placement, ok!" Tenten says as she taps onto the mic on hers.

"Speed-wise, my team is faster," Gai tells the others while giving a thumb up. "The frequency is 174, wait for our message!"

"It's up to you," Kakashi tell him.

"Team Gai! Let's go with the full power of youth! Scatter!" Gai shouts and everyone in the team disappear.

 _'Gaara,'_ Naruto says as she looks at the rock that holds the first token. Kakashi uses his Chakra to cling to the side of the rock, grabbing the token with one hand he looks at the other two on his team.

"We'll break in with a button-hook entry," he tells them and balls his fist up, tearing the token off of the rock. "Sakura!"

"Ok!" She says as she balls her fist up, running up to the rock and punches it dead on the center of the rock, causing it to crack and crumble. Kakashi motions which side he and Naruto will take, entering it afterwards, making the other two go in the same but to the right. They all slide to a stop on each sides of the entrance, Naruto's eyes widen as she looks at Gaara.

 _'Is it too late…?'_ Kakashi wonders as Sakura and Chiyo's eyes widen.

 _'Sasori,'_ Chiyo said as she looks at her grandson.

"Well then, which of you is the 'Jinchuuriki', I wonder…? Mm." Deidara asks as he watches them from his seat on top of Gaara's abdomen. Getting pissed off that the guy would actually use him as a seat, Naruto's eyes and body infused more with Kyuubi's Chakra.

"You bastards! I'll smash you to pieces!" She shouts at him making the Akatsuki members smirk.

"That one," Sasori says.

"Well, seems like it, mm." Deidara says as he is enjoying himself.

"Gaara, what're you doing, sleeping there lazily?! Stand the hell up!" Naruto shouts out as she couldn't stand that the man is using him as a seat. "Hey! Gaara, are you listening to me?!"

"Stop, Naruto," Kakashi tells her as he doesn't take his eyes off of their opponents. "You should understand," he says as he looks at the girl, worried.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you get it? He's well dead, mm?" Deidara tells the girl whose eyes are now bloodshot with tears forming in them.

"Give him back," she growls out, as her canines show with each word she says. "Give Gaara back! You bastards!" She yells at them, and then starts to run to them when Kakashi stops her.

"Calm down, if you go rushing in there without thinking, they'll destroy you," he tells her and she grunts out at him.

"I'll look after this one," Sasori says. "It seems like that Jinchuuriki wants to take this one back."

"This'll probably make you angry, but, I'll handle that Jinchuuriki, mm." Deidara tells him.

"The assignment is one person to one beast, don't push it, Deidara." Sasori growls out to him.

"If an artist doesn't get high levels of inspiration, his sentiments are dulled, master. It's said that the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki is considerably strong, mm." Deidara explains.

"What? You call those explosions fine art? Fine art is something wonderful that's left long into the future, eternal beauty," Sasori says as he glares at him.

"They involve the same skilled labor, I respect you, but fine art is the beauty of that single fleeting moment of explosion." Deidara argues with him, making the others stare at the two from a distance.

"Wha…what kind of people are these?" Sakura wonders.

"Stop playing around, bastards," Naruto said as she pulls a scroll out of her pouch, unrolling it she took out one of her giant Shuriken and throws it at the two. The Shuriken is deflected by Sasori's tail attachment and the star is sticking straight up out of the ground.

"Deidara, you little shit, are you trying to piss me off?" Sasori growls out at him, while his tail is wagging around.

"Well, then, I was right when I said it'd probably make you angry, mm?!" Deidara asks.

 _'Without even glancing at the Shuriken, he deflected it,'_ Sakura thought as her eyes widen.

 _'Indeed, he handles his puppets just like he did long ago,'_ Chiyo thought as she is observing them both.

"My fine art is explosions. Completely different to your little puppet show! Mm." Deidara says as he stands up, getting off of Gaara enough for his bird to pick up Gaara's body. He had to hurry and jump back to avoid Sasori's tail as it quickly went to stab into him, he jumped onto the back of his bird. "See you, master," he says as his bird gulps down Gaara's body and flies up out of the cave.

"Wait the hell up!" Naruto growls out as she starts running after him.

"That's it!" Deidara taunts from the sky.

 _'Tch, Naruto never stops, does she?'_ Kakashi thought as he starts running to follow the girl. "Naruto and I will handle the one outside. Sakura and Chiyo, take care of this one, but until team Gai gets back, try not to overdo it."

"Got it!" Sakura said as the man takes the last step inside of the cave. He lands on the arch besides Naruto and they both stare up at Deidara.

"Gai, can you hear me? Come back quickly, you're needed!" Kakashi tells the man through his microphone.

 _ **"Can't really do that, we all fell into the enemy's Jutsu, it'll take a bit longer,"**_ he replies back.

 _'I can't afford to hold back here,'_ Kakashi says as he reveals the Sharingan in his eye.

"Are you sure it's me you wanna fight? Mm? Sharingan Kakashi, I dunno if I should be saying it, but Master Sasori's stronger than I am, mm." Deidara tells him as he tries to get Naruto alone.

"Sensei, you should go help Sakura-chan, I'll rescue Gaara!" Naruto tells the man who is shocked that she would even mention it.

"Hm," Deidara says as he looks on.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing about their stories.

 **A/N:** Heh, I found out that it is a bad thing for me to devour chocolate constantly while writing. I went into a chocolate coma for about four hours and my bodies still recuperating from the cold that won't go away! So, now I start back with submitting chapter four and then starting on this chapter. I'm just enjoying writing this part because it shows a little bit on how close Naruto and Gaara got after Naruto left to go training.

 **Chapter Five**

Naruto charged at Deidara, who dodged and made the girl crash into the side of the cliff of the river. He takes out a clay bird and activates his Jutsu, making the bird a good size, and it flies straight at the two. Kakashi took out a Shuriken, hitting the bird making Deidara set off its explosion, sending the Shuriken back at Kakashi who deflects it with a Kunai. Kakashi lands on the cliff side right besides Naruto who is now starting to remove herself from the stones that grab a hold of her body.

"There's no way I'm letting you take Gaara!" She shouts at the man while little pebbles fall off of her.

"You're quite the odd Jinchuuriki. I heard that Jinchuuriki generally hate people because of their own bad moods, mm. But this Gaara is unusual too, so far there haven't been any Jinchuuriki who care about others," he said as he stares into the girls now red eyes. "Besides him, two Jinchuuriki up until now were defeated by my peers. Their friends and those of their villages, it seems not a single one came to save them, mm. Instead, it appeared that they were more on our side," he says as he stares at Kakashi, chuckling. Naruto completely removes herself from the rocks and stands up stiff. "Both so pitiful and detested, you couldn't ignore each other, mm? Because Gaara's 'Ichibi' was extracted, he died. You will share the same fate shortly. Got it?!"

"I'll…kill you all," Naruto growls with a little of undertone from Kyuubi who is now furious as hell as well. They were astonished when Deidara took his bird and started flying off.

"Wait, Naruto! Don't go too far away from me!" Kakashi said as they both hop root to root, chasing after the blond that is sitting on his bird.

 _'Well, I said I'd handle the Jinchuuriki, but I've no explosive clay left, and even that copy Ninja Kakashi is after me,'_ Deidara thought as he looked at the two following him. "What should I do, mmm?"

 _'We're too far away from the others, and at this distance, we can't use the radios,'_ Kakashi thought as he looked behind him. _'There's no time to waste, no choice. I'll have to finish it quickly with 'that'.'_ He grabs Naruto around her waist, making it look like he's carrying the girl like a sack of potatoes. "I said wait, didn't I?!" Kakashi tells the girl as she grunts out, glaring with red eyes at the man. "It's alright, we'll definitely get Gaara back," when he says this Naruto's eyes frown and the man lets her go. "So calm down," he grunts out. "Listen, Naruto. You're not used to this type of opponent. You specialize in close combat, so this long-distance fighter type is a bad match for you. There are only two ways to defeat an opponent like this."

"What are they?!" Naruto asks as she seriously takes in what the man tells her.

"The first is to draw the opponent into short-range and defeat them. The other is to outdo your opponent with your own long-distance attacks," he tells her as he looks up at where Deidara is flying above them.

"But how do I do that?" She asks him.

"Either a companion who specializes in long-distance attacks or someone who can use long-range combat support Ninjutsu must be in your team. If that's not the situation, defeating the enemy is impossible. Well, unless you have a brain like Shikamaru," he tells her.

"Get to the point! So, what are you, Kakashi-sensei?!" She growls out, getting impatient.

"Oh, me? I guess I'm a Jounin who has a brain like Shikamaru and long-range combat support Ninjutsu," he tells her as he looks at her from the corner of his eye.

"Then we have what we need!" She shouts at him.

"So I told you, calm down. It's not that easy, no matter how much we follow, he's not giving us an opportunity. He's someone who entered the Sand by himself and defeated Gaara. Above all, he **is** a member of Akatsuki. Then what do we do? We have to create an opening here," he says seriously. "Both of us together," she watches him while they chase after the man. "When you've taken in all I've said, listen up. I'll tell you the plan."

 _'That kid, she's become completely passive. What are they planning? Mm.'_ Deidara said as Naruto gets a hold of herself and the Kyuubi starts calming down as well.

"Kakashi-sensei, still?" Naruto urges the man since she's very impatient.

"I told you; don't be in such a hurry, since I don't have as much Chakra as you, it takes time, but…" Kakashi pauses as he continues trying to gather up his Chakra while creating a sign. "I'm ready now. Let's go, Naruto!" He tells the girl as he shows her his new Sharingan.

"That's…what you said before," she mutters with clear blue eyes now, staring at the new eye Jutsu that Kakashi is showing her.

"Yes, it's a new Sharingan," he tells her as they continue on their pursuit of the man. She stares at the man with a frown on her brow, "What is it?"

"Kakashi-sensei, its okay if you screw up, 'cause I'll finish it off!" She says, while finishing with a growl.

"Yeah, if you get a chance," he says with a smile on his face.

"Got it!" She shouts out and Kakashi focuses his Sharingan at Deidara and his bird, activating the Mangekyou Sharingan. Doing this causes the space around Deidara to warp.

 _'What's…this?!'_ The man wonders as a black hole starts forming on his chest. _'Eye Jutsu…?! Damn!'_ He moves his body around so that the hole only got his left arm.

 _'What the…this Jutsu is…amazing,'_ Naruto says as she clings to the wall of the canyon, staring at the attack that is being used on the man.

 _'Both my arm and the space around it?! Such a Jutsu!'_ Deidara thinks as he continues trying to move out of the Jutsu.

 _'Shit,'_ Kakashi thought as the man cries out when his arm is ripped to pieces by the void, taking a big chunk of it into a different dimension. Kakashi grunts out as he grabs his eye as they hear the man crying out in pain. _'I missed…I still can't properly control the location and size of the barrier limiting the area,'_ he thought as he reveals his eye again. Deidara starts noticing the Jutsu is being used again and starts trying to maneuver his body again. He flew his bird out of the way, not realizing that Naruto has taken this time to create a clone and make a Rasengan, by the time he noticed the girl gets too close and he ends up jumping off of his bird. Naruto ends up using the Rasengan on the bird, breaking its head off. _'Yes!'_ Kakashi thought as he pants and Deidara clicks his tongue in disgust.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Naruto creates two clones to catch the head, where Gaara's body rests inside. "Gaara!" Naruto shouts out as her clones start breaking apart the clay. Kakashi pants out as he deactivates the Mangekyou, making his eye turn to normal. "Kakashi-sensei! Are you ok?!" Naruto's clone asks as it lands next to the man.

"Yeah, one way or another," he tells her as she breaks through the clay with one of her clones, showing her Gaara's body inside of it.

 _'My right arm too? Now I can't use Jutsu, is this it? But, that there is someone who uses eye Jutsu at Itachi's level, this Jinchuuriki is no danger, but the problem is Kakashi, mm.'_ Deidara thought as a corner of his lips raise in a smirk.

"I'll get you," Naruto growls out as her eyes turn blood red again.

"Gotcha, gotcha, I'll fight you again soon, mm," Deidara smiles at the girl.

"You've let your guard down," Kakashi tells the man, who spins around to see a clone of Naruto's raising her fist to punch him out of the tree. As the man falls, she creates four more clones, grabbing him by his limbs or the areas where a limb is supposed to be. They slammed him into the ground, breaking it in the processes. She lands on him hard on his stomach, making a cry of pain rip through his lips as he winces in pain. Raising her fist, she continuously pounds into the man, making him grunt and groan with each hit. _'Naruto,'_ Kakashi thought as he observes the five laying into the man. She creates another Rasengan, smashing it into his chest, when she realizes he's switched his body. _'Clay, a Kawarimi,'_ Kakashi says as he stares at the girl who starts forming the cloak around her body, with a tail starting to form. _'That's what…Jiraiya-sama was talking about…'_

 _'What's that? Is that a Jinchuuriki's… ?'_ Deidara thinks as he is hiding in the bushes staring as the first tail forms and then the start of the second is bubbling up from her body. _'Well, no wonder each hit was so heavy,'_ he thought as blood drops down from his smiling lips.

"Uhh! So hot," Naruto's clone that stayed with Kakashi ends up bending over, clutching her abdomen making Kakashi realize that something is wrong. He thought back to what Jiraiya said to him.

 _"If the Chakra seeping from her body starts to form the demon fox, be careful, got it? While it's 'just one tail', stop it," he hands Kakashi a small square of paper that has symbols inside of a seal circle. "Use this; it can instantly suppress the Chakra."_

 _'This suddenly,'_ Kakashi thought as he jumped over to Naruto's body that is perched on top of a rock, making sure the girl couldn't pinpoint his movements, he swings around her to place the square on her forehead. He watches the girls face as the cloak starts disappearing, and her eyes start going back to the normal blue hue that everyone's come to look forward to seeing. "Have you calmed down, Naruto?" He asked as he continued to crouch down in front of the girl. _'Jiraiya-sama, what in the world did you see?'_ He wonders and looks over his shoulders as a few figures joined him.

"Finally caught up," Sakura said as she smiles at the other two and supports Lady Chiyo with her body.

"You found this place well," Kakashi muses as Naruto's shocked face looks at the two.

"We saw where the enemy was flying before," Sakura explains.

"You are still…having trouble here, it seems," Chiyo said as she stared at the blue eyes that look strained.

"Sakura-chan, the two of you did it," Naruto stated with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Yes, more importantly, what of Gaara?" Chiyo asked, making Naruto's eye twitch as she looks over to two of her clones who are holding Gaara's body up. "Alright," she says as her pale face shows no signs of what she's going to do.

 _'Unbelievable, that the little girl and the old hag could defeat Lord Sasori,'_ Deidara thought as he continues watching the group from his hiding spot. _'Like anything is left for the future as a thing of eternal beauty, he got killed straight off. That creation of his real body with the exposed weak point was just him being overconfident, mm. Well, even if I do say so myself, that was an end fitting for an artist,'_ he thought as he slowly moves out from under the bush, just as he realized that he wasn't alone.

"Well done, Neji," Gai said as he alerts the others not that far away from them. When Deidara tries to escape huge Shuriken are thrown at him, embedding into the trunk of the tree that he is going around.

 _'Now there's no way I can escape,'_ Deidara thought as he looks at the Ninja's attacking him.

"Team Gai," Kakashi says as he watches with his Sharingan.

 _'Over there,'_ Deidara thought as he notices his now headless bird lying on the ground.

"Everyone, watch out! That person's a long-distance type who attacks with explosions!" He tells them and they land a good distance away from the man and the heap of clay on the ground, watching as Deidara drops the Kunai from his mouth and takes a big bite out of the bird.

"Take a look at my ultimate work of art, art is a bang!" He tells them as his body starts blowing up, like a blimp, making Neji's eyes widen.

 _'The Chakra's all gathering in one spot at once! He couldn't be…'_ Neji stops his train of thought and turns to the others, "Everyone, hurry, gets away from here!" As he shouts, he and two of his teammates quickly move away from the man. Kakashi puts his hand over his Sharingan. _'Too late!'_ Neji thought as he looks back at the explosion, while Naruto's clones are running while carrying Gaara's body. When the dust cloud clears up everyone is looking around with confused eyes, since there wasn't an explosion.

"What's going on?" Gai wonders as he and his team looked around until they noticed the distorted space, where the explosion was supposed to come from. You could see the warped space getting smaller until it was gone.

 _'Somehow, I made it in time,'_ Kakashi thought as he is standing there panting with the Mangekyou Sharingan activated. All that is left is a crater where the explosion was started. Gai looks at his rival with serious eyes, noticing the Sharingan eye was looking at him.

 _'I expect nothing less from my rival,'_ Gai thought with a smile on his face. The silver haired man starts losing his balance so much that he falls over, until Naruto catches him.

"Are you alright, Kakashi-sensei?!" Naruto asks while she eases his body to the ground.

"What in the world…did you do?" Sakura wonders as she stares at the man with wide eyes.

"Him and the explosion, I sent them to another dimension," he tells the girl as he looks at her from his only opened eye. "More importantly, is everyone safe?" When he asks this, Naruto's clones dropped down with Gaara's body, shocking a few of the others.

"Sakura-chan," Naruto says while looking at her teammate with saddened eyes. The girl had everyone move to a clearing in the forest, so that she could work without having to worry about anything hiding in the trees close to them. "Sakura-chan," Naruto says as he watches her lift her hands up off of Gaara's chest, shaking her head. Everyone looks down at Gaara, someone who has become their friend and ally throughout the years, laying there with not one bit of life inside of him. Sakura stands up as Naruto starts shaking all over, trying to control her emotions, when the blond just gives up and starts sobbing out while looking down at the ground, with tears rushing down her cheeks. "Why…was Gaara…always Gaara…" She sobs out as her fists clench and her shoulders shaking. "To die like this! He's the Kazekage," she sobs as Sakura looks at the girl, who is revealing how much she cares for the prone, redhead. "He didn't just become Kazekage…"

"Relax, Uzumaki Naruto," Chiyo tells the girl.

"Shut up!" She bursts out as her eyes narrow on the older woman in a flash of rage. "If you Shinobi of the Sand hadn't put a monster in Gaara, then nothing like this would've happened! Did any of you even try to ask Gaara how he felt?! What is this 'Jinchuuriki' anyway?! You just arrogantly made up that word to call them!" She shouts at them as she lowers her head and raises her arms; trying to rub away the tears that seem like won't stop, no matter what she tries.

"Naruto," Sakura said as she takes a step towards the girl.

"I couldn't save Sasuke, and I couldn't save Gaara. For three years, I trained desperately, but nothing's changed since three years ago, has it?" She sobs out with deep sorrow and said something that broke everyone's heart. "If I cannot save or protect them then what can I do to protect my son and my daughter? Not to mention that I don't know how I'm going to tell them that their Uncle is dead now," Sakura looks at the girl and is speechless, not knowing what to tell her. As Naruto continues to cry, Chiyo stands straight up, even though her entire body is shaking from being poisoned, she starts walking towards Gaara and places a hand on his chest, making Naruto scrub at her eyes furiously, trying to relieve her tears.

Wave's of Chakra flare out above her hands, glowing from the amount of Chakra she has to use. Everyone's eyes are watching every move she makes, but Sakura realizes what the woman is doing, making her eyes widen.

"Lady Chiyo, that Jutsu is…!" She stops herself when she saw that there was a smile slowly transforming the woman's face. _'Lady Chiyo…'_ Sakura watches on with sad eyes.

"What're you trying to do now?" Naruto asked since she hasn't seen this type of medical Ninjutsu being used.

 _'Medical Ninjutsu?'_ Neji wonders as he continues to watch the woman with his Byakugan activated eyes.

 _'This is what Lady Chiyo was talking about, exchanging her own life,'_ Sakura thought as she constantly watched the woman.

"That's…" Gai-sensei stops as he realizes what the woman is doing.

"Yes," Kakashi agrees with the man.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Naruto shouts at the woman as she feels that the woman's Chakra is leaving her body, completely.

"She's…bringing Gaara back!" Sakura tells her, making the blond realize what the woman is really doing as the other teams younger members are still a little confused on how she could do that.

"Bring him…back to life…!?" She asks and stares at the older woman. "But you know what will happen if you do that, right?"

"This Jutsu is one that only granny Chiyo knows," Sakura looked at the girl, wondering how come she knows about it.

 _'That flow of Chakra, such a convenient Jutsu can't possibly exist, most likely,'_ Neji thought as he continued to watch as her life force is seeping from her and flowing into Gaara.

 _'It has risks, risks as great as the reward,'_ Kakashi thought while watching her aura with the Sharingan. The woman groans out in the strain on her for accomplishing this Jutsu and her Chakra starts dimming a little bit.

"Damn, not enough Chakra," she quietly says as she starts losing hope of it working at all.

"My Chakra, try using it!" Naruto tells her, making her eyes widen as she looks up into the blue eyed blond. "Can you do that, Baa-chan?" She stares at the girl, thinking about what Kakashi said about her and Gaara being so much alike.

"Place your hands on top of mine," she tells her and she nods to her, gently placing her smooth hands on the wrinkled skin of Chiyo's.

 _'Naruto,'_ Sakura thought as she watches the desperate girl, pushing her Chakra into Chiyo's hands.

"In this world of Shinobi, made by many foolish old people, I'm glad to see that someone such as yourself has appeared," she tells the girl, who looks at her. "My past, everything I've done has been nothing but one mistake after another. Still, in my very last moments, it looks like I'll finally be able to set things right. Sand and Konoha, the future, starting now, will surely be different from the time I lived. That unusual gift of yours, which Kakashi spoke of, that gift will surely change the future, after you become a Hokage like none before you that is," she pauses to shift her eyes to Sakura's form. "And you, Sakura, next time, instead of risking your life for a dying old woman, I want you to protect those most important to you. You are…a lot like me. After all, a woman with a gallant spirit matching any man's is a rarity indeed. Surely you'll become a Kunoichi even greater than your master." She pauses as Sakura's tears are flowing down her cheeks. "Finally, Naruto, this old woman has a request of you. You are the only person capable of understanding Gaara's suffering. Gaara understands your suffering, as well, please, help Gaara for me…" She says as Naruto feels the last of the woman's life flowing into the teen's body, she closes her eyes to reach Gaara's mind.

Naruto saw everyone that she now has a bond with lined up, alongside of her and she looks behind her, noticing a figure all alone. She pushes through the group and starts running. _"Gaara…"_ She shouts out to him and everything starts fading. _"Gaara!"_

 _'Who…is it? Who…are you calling?'_ Gaara wonders as a vision of his hand appears before his face. _'Whose hand is this?'_ He wonders and tried moving his fingers, once he noticed they moved for him he stares at them. _'Oh, it's just my hand again,'_ he thought as he tightened the fingers. _'My hand…me?'_ Over his hand he saw the small and younger version of himself, alone, kneeling down and crying into his knees. _'Me…who…am I?'_ He wonders as his form looks like it comes closer to him. _'I'm…'_ A hand is placed on his shoulder, stopping the depressing line of thoughts that he has. He looks over his shoulder to see a younger, blond haired girl with pigtails that went to her shoulders. She looks at the tears going down his cheek and wipes them away.

Suddenly, their forms go back to being their normal selves and Naruto's eyes gentle as she takes in the teen's sight, her lips form a gentle smile, "Gaara…"

"Naruto," he notices that Naruto's been crying and wonders what could make this iron clad girl cry enough to make her eyes turn so red. He turns to look around him to see a huge group of his village's Shinobi. He leans back into Naruto, shocked that all of them are surrounding him. "This is…"

"Everyone was rushing, just to save you," she tells him as her smile grows even bigger. "Hey, you put us through a lot!" Naruto says with a chuckle.

"For sure, you're a little brother I always have to worry about, eh?" Kankuro asks with a nod.

"Hey, don't go getting all complacent! Gaara's still the Kazekage, so don't be so cheeky!" Tamari says as she closes her eyes in relief. "You underlings!" She says to the other two and then out from behind her pops two heads, showing the twins that hold tears in their eyes.

"Uncle Gaara!" They shout and run straight into the arms of his even though he is a little stiff right now. He hugs them to his chest as a small smile shows up on his face.

"Gaara, how are you feeling?" Tamari asks as she kneels down in front of him and the twins. He groans as he sets the twins down and tries to get up. "You shouldn't be in such a hurry to move. Your body's not back to full health yet," she tells him as the other Shinobi's start talking around them.

"This is great…I wondered if Lord Kazekage really would die," one of the Shinobi's said as he sniffs away his tears.

"No way Lord Gaara'd die that easily!" A Sand Kunoichi says as she pops him aside the head. "Lord Gaara's a real strong and silent type, and good-looking, and elite…"

"Yeah, yeah, but still there's some cuteness about him, but then he's Kazekage…" Another Kunoichi says as they fan girl over Gaara. "Next time for sure, I'll get Lord Gaara out of whatever mess he's in!"

"No! Me!" They both argue and knock Naruto out of the way.

"Yeah, I guess I'm still just a Chuunin…" Naruto says as she leans her head on her hand looking at the pitiful girls surrounding her friend.

"Don't feel bad, women are always weak at the knees for the elite, cool types," Kankuro tells her as the twins plop down, leaning against their mother and Kankuro crouches while they grin at the teen who is being fawned over.

"Well, I remember Shikamaru saying something like that too, mmm…" She mutters as she shakes her head. "Thankfully I'm not like that." She said as they both watch Tamari blocking the two Kunoichi's from her little brother.

"Thank you, Naruto," Kankuro tells her and she quickly turned her shocked eyes to his before softening them up.

"You should be saying that to the old lady, not me. She saved Gaara with her amazing medical Ninjutsu," Naruto says as she looks over at the body of Granny Chiyo.

 _'Chiyo, used that Jutsu,'_ Kankuro said as he too looked over at the older woman.

"She only came into my life so shortly, and ends up leaving it with my own help," she sighs as she suddenly feels depressed.

"No," Kankuro says which made the girl stiffen up.

"What d'you mean, 'no'…?" Naruto asks as she looks up at him while the twins get up when they saw one of their foxes slowly making their way through the crowd.

"With it being a Tensei Ninjutsu, it was her own choice to end her life here," he tells her and her eyes widened.

"What…are you saying?" She asks quietly, her face showing how upset she is that the old woman practically killed herself today.

"They choose to end their life when they use that Jutsu and she done it just for Gaara. When she was younger, she led a squad that researched and developed the Jutsu just so they could give life to puppets. She worked out the theory behind the Jutsu, but…in the process, saying that the risk of the Jutsu was too high, before experimentation, it was designated a forbidden Jutsu, and sealed away…" Kankuro explains as they watch the woman's brother walk over and starts talking with Sakura.

"'I'm just playing dead', I keep expecting her to laugh out loud and say that, hmm." He thought as he looked down at his siblings' peaceful expression on her face. "Such a peaceful expression she has now…"

"Yes," Sakura said as she hugs the woman's body to hers, thankful that she's gotten to know the woman.

"Naruto, you really are a mysterious person. You have the power to change people," Tamari says as she crouches down besides her. "Chiyo-sama was always saying how she didn't care about the future of the village; she wasn't the kind of person who would do something like this for Gaara."

"Chiyo-sama entrusted the future to you and Gaara, a truly fitting last moment for a Shinobi," Kakashi says as he looks at the older woman's visage.

"Yeah, the same as Sandaime," Naruto says almost too quietly.

"That's right," he tells the girl.

"Yeah, I understand the old lady's feelings for sure now!" Naruto says as she looks at him over her shoulder as a fox sits next to her. Gaara closes his eyes and struggles to get up.

"Lord Gaara," one of the Kunoichi's besides him cries out.

"It's ok," Gaara says and is shocked when Naruto grabs his arm to help him to stand. The two walks over and stands before Sakura, who is still holding onto the woman. "Everyone, say a prayer for Chiyo," as soon as Gaara says this everyone starts bowing their heads.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, and I don't gain any money from writing stories about characters that the original author creates.

 **A/N:** Sorry everyone, I've been going zombified otherwise these would be out really quick, like I've decided to do until it is finished. Right now I have been having this issue with someone cyber bullying my sister-in-law on both Tiktok and on Facebook. So, I've just been upset because at no time should anyone ever bully someone, no matter if it is over the phone, in person or online. The thing about it is on my part, it will be a little difficult to deal with people like these, since on Facebook they can hide themselves and everything. On Tiktok it is a little easier if you know what they look like and have seen their videos, just know that if you see anyone on there with this on their videos (#silverguardians) do not affiliate with them and report them at all times until they are gone from Tiktok, because they do not care if they are bullying someone online. I will be doing a video about bullying on Tiktok and revealing those who are doing said bullying so just keep an eye out for them. Hopefully, it will start a chain, that will help those that run Tiktok (which I have friended a good bit of them) see that these are not good for those that are being bullied. I believe that the group that is doing the bullying is a role playing group on Facebook, so they can be even crueler on their bullying than I have ever seen. They are very descriptive as well, which can be bad on people who have a weak will. If there is a casualty from their bullying, I have no knowledge but I do know that words even if they are small can still hurt someone. So, yeah, this is really upsetting me because I've known people who have actually killed themselves over crap like this. We had one a few weeks ago, who was a member of Tiktok and got bullied as well on there. She was a brilliant girl and didn't deserve any of this. Anyway, onto the story and I hope you enjoy this:

 **Melyway:** Yup, he's back! You can tell Naruto just gets pissed about Deidara and the rest of Akatsuki; I don't think she will let any of this go.

 **Tsukoblue:** Have you not read my story the prelude to this one? If you have, then you would realize that I will be doing the spelling by how it is in the manga. Different people translate and they use different spelling for each set. Where one uses Temari the others will use Tamari.

 **Chapter Six**

Naruto stares hard at the grave marker of Lady Chiyo with saddened eyes, the twins were fiddling with their fastens, making it harder for Neji to fasten them to the foxes. You could hear the foxes laughing at the teen that is starting to get frustrated at the two, making Tenten and Temari grin at his expression.

"Uncle Neji, can you get me my sweets?" Shina asks as she gives him a puppy dog look.

"I will get them for you if you would be nice enough to hold still and stop unfastening yourself," he tells her with a stern voice. "Now, you and Futarou need to hold still."

"I'll fasten Futarou, you just get her fastened and her sweets," Temari says with a grin cemented on her face. She quickly fastened the little boy, who stopped moving as soon as he saw that it was her who was doing it. He knew that if he didn't behave, her temper would start appearing and he didn't like making her angry. Temari cups the little boys face and kisses his nose, "Now, Fu-chan, will you be a good little boy for mommy?"

"Yes, Auntie, I will behave," he tells her and she hands him an unsweetened treat since he doesn't like sweets. Sakura approaches Naruto and stands besides her while Gai walks while holding Kakashi up.

"Sakura, Naruto, we're about to leave now," Gai tells them.

"Right!" Naruto tells him over her shoulder and turns to look at Sakura. "Let's get going, Sakura-chan." She watches Sakura gently place her hand on the tombstone, running her hand over it.

 _'Lady Chiyo, thank you,'_ she thought as she walks back to the group. They all walk to the entrance to the village and the three siblings are standing there to see them off.

"See ya," Kankuro says as he rubs the top of Futarou's head, making the little boy smile brightly at the man.

"Y…yeah!" Naruto said as she tried not to laugh at the angry look on Shina's face. Kankuro realized this and he hugged the girl to appease her.

"I guess that I'll see you again, whenever we get a chance to come visit," Naruto said as she is always awkward when they separate. Her eyes widen when Gaara wraps his arms around her and hugs her. He uses his sand to make her arms move up, to get her to hug him back, making a small smile pop up on her lips. After he lets her go, he goes and walks over to the twins and hugs them.

"Bye Uncle Gaara, Auntie Temari and Uncle Kankuro," the twins say in unison as they waved from the backs of the huge foxes.

~3~

Now the group is in the middle of the desert with the sun beating down on them. Everyone but the twins look uncomfortable with the heat. The twins are being shaded by the multiple tails of the foxes, as they hold them up and bushed out the fur, causing the twins to grin and fall asleep before long. Gai and Kakashi look so uncomfortable, with sweat pouring down their faces as every once in a while they look jealously at the twins.

"Both of you Sensei's are so slow!" Tenten said as she looked at them.

"Ehhh, sorry, Gai-kun. Because I used that Sharingan, my body won't move," Kakashi tells him, apologizing to his friend.

"Right!" Gai shouts.

"Ah! Oh! Wha…!" Kakashi complains as the man suddenly tosses him onto his back, making the two full grown men look so ridiculous.

 _'That's…kinda creepy,'_ Naruto said as she stared at the two who were further behind them.

 _'Grown men playing piggyback, they're more intimate than I thought,'_ Sakura thought.

 _'Oh, no way,'_ Tenten's jaw drops when she saw them, while Neji wasn't going to touch that with a ten foot pole.

 _'Aha, it's training!'_ Lee thought as he clenches his fist at the two men, excited.

"This way, I'll be faster!" Gai said as he does a good guy pose and takes off, speeding through the desert. "Ahahahaha! Think any of you can keep up with me?!" He shouts at the others as he gets further away, taunting them. The foxes shake their heads at them, realizing that some humans are just weird.

 _'They look even more intimate when they're moving,'_ Sakura said as her face shows her exasperation.

"Neji," Lee says as he puts his backpack on his front and leans over in a position for Neji to get on his back.

"Absolutely not!" Neji shouts at the teen, shocked he would even suggest that. He strokes the top of the black foxes head, noticing that even with the loud voices, Futarou is still asleep. "Will they wake up when we start running faster?" He asks Naruto who walks over and fastened a blanket that is made out of wire mesh to keep them onto the two foxes.

"These two are used to travelling fast, so we will not have any problem with them falling off or waking up until they get hungry," she said as she makes sure that the mesh blankets were fastened correctly. "I made this myself so that they were protected." She nods at the two foxes and they all start travelling faster to reach Gai and Kakashi quicker.

~3~

"With Orochimaru as bait, Akatsuki could be lying in wait for you at the Tenchi Bridge," Tsunade tells Sakura as her, Sakura and Shizune are all talking on one of the balconies on the Hokage tower.

"If it's a trap, then we'll just have to fight!" Sakura said as her face shows her determination.

"You say you'll fight, but Kakashi will be in that state for at least a week, and there's only six days. I guess I'll have to form a new team," Tsunade said as she thinks about their situation.

"Lady Tsunade!" Shizune says, getting the Hokage's attention.

"What?" Tsunade asks with annoyance filled voice.

"In that case, you should send a different team to investigate. Even if we send Sakura like you said you must leave Naruto out!" Shizune says with a stern voice.

"Shizune, Sakura is, like you, one of the few Shinobi I can trust in. I am definitely sending Sakura's team, team Kakashi, on this mission," she tells her assistant in a voice that makes her show her that she doesn't want any arguing from the woman.

"Then wouldn't it be the same if my team went?" Shizune asks.

"It's not the same," Tsunade said as Sakura looks surprised at how Shizune is going against Tsunade on this decision. "Both Sakura and Naruto, are desperately chasing after their old teammate, Sasuke, they strongly believe more than anyone in rescuing Sasuke. Those strong feelings will bring the mission to succeed, you and Sakura are different."

"Understood, but for this mission, Naruto…" Shizune stops herself as Tsunade glares at her.

"Well, now that you've heard all of it, what do you have to say, Naruto?" Tsunade asks as she looks above them.

"I'll go looking for members right away!" Naruto says as everyone saw her and the two foxes, waiting patiently for their presence to be noticed. They jump off the top, making the twins squeal as they were awake and waiting quietly. "Right!" Naruto says as they all jump off of the Hokage tower. As she jumps from roof to roof, her thoughts filled with the man she's still in love with. _'Sasuke…'_ They land on a road and start to walk from there, walking by a tree that has a teen leaning up against the trunk of it. "Wonder who that is," she rubs her chin, thinking about who is best to gather for this mission.

"It's been a while, Naruto," the teen says as he walks away from the tree, making the girl turn around to look at him.

"Who?" She wonders as she looks at him with her blue eyes alert.

"It's me," the teen says, almost sounding flustered that she doesn't recognize him.

"Who's 'me'?!" She asks as she points at him.

"Just because it's been a long time since we've met, you should at least recognize the face of a comrade. Because, it's hurtful for the one who calls you," he says as his brows furrow.

"That weirdo speech style…are you…Shino!" She gasps out since he's changed a lot since the last time she saw him, when she gave birth to the twins.

"You got it at last," he says with a wry tone.

"Well, how's anyone supposed to recognize if you keep your face hidden like that?! Idiot!" She crabs at him, making the twins giggle.

"Shino! You're early!" Kiba shouts from above, making Naruto glance at the two as they land right in front of her.

"Ki-kiba?" She stutters out since she's shocked at the size that Akamaru has gotten.

"Yeah! I was sure it was you, Naruto!" He says as his jaw drops, when he saw the two little kids on the huge foxes behind her. "That scent!" He shouts out as the two kids are a mixture of not only her but of Sasuke.

"That was how you recognized me?!" She asks with her lips twisting and she points at the dog, who barks at her for ignoring him. "That dog…is it…"

"Whatcha mean? It's Akamaru, obviously!" He tells her as he looks at his companion over his shoulder. "Anyway, you've gotten big, eh?!" He says as he measures their heights that are so close, but Kiba is still a little taller than the girl.

"No way, it's Akamaru who's gotten big! Do all dogs get big like that so quickly?" She asks, even though her foxes got big quickly as well.

"Really? I'm always with him, so I never noticed," Kiba says with a smile.

"What...it's obvious! Akamaru used to go around on top of your head!" She says as she looks at the dog that walks slowly over to her, not wanting to startle the two foxes who stand there regally. "Right, Shino?!" She leans back as she asks the other teen.

"You recognized Kiba right away, Naruto." Shino said, depressed.

 _'Oh no, he's getting annoyed,'_ she said as she looks at him.

"By the way, what's with the kids? I know those are your foxes, but those two look so familiar…" Kiba asks and Naruto grins while the two are chewing on some jerky that she gave them.

"Those are Naruto's kids," a voice said behind the group and they all turn to see Hinata, who is quickly rushing over to see the twins, who also notice her and stare her down. "They are almost two, and so smart now," she said as she runs her fingers through their hair.

"Hey, it's Hinata!" Naruto shouts with a grin on her face, she runs over and hugs the girl.

"What! You had kids, Naruto?!" Kiba shouts as Akamaru tries to get close to the twins, sniffing their legs, making them giggle when they feel his whiskers on their skin. The foxes sniffed Akamaru's snout before licking him, reassuring him that they trust him to be around the twins.

"Yeah, Kiba," Hinata said as she looks at her teammate. "You remember the mission that called only for a few of us; Neji and I were one of the few that were called. We had to protect Naruto on the last bit of her pregnancy and also ended up having to protect Tsunade on our trip back, after Naruto had the twins. I was the first to really hold them after they were born," Hinata said as she strokes the lines on the twin's faces. "If I haven't seen pictures of your mother I would worry who she looks like, but look at that resemblance. Futarou looks so much like a mixture of you and Sasuke, too!" The other two, were so shocked that their mouths dropped, until Shino straightens his posture and glares at Naruto.

"You recognized Hinata right away too, Naruto," he said with a frown on his face.

"That's because I do keep in touch with her, she is my best friend," Naruto shakes her head at the teen.

~3~

"They said no after all, team Kurenai's gone off on a mission," Naruto pouts as they continue down the road, getting waves from some passerby's who knew the girl. "In that case, I think I'll try those guys." She ends up meeting Shikamaru, who is now handing Shina a treat that his mom told him to give to the girl. Handing one of Chouji's special jerky strips to Futarou, he chows down, not complaining about the fact that his sister has sweets.

"Bah, like I said, it's troublesome, but I have to sort out the entrants for the Chuunin exam. I know we have a sort of Friendship thing, and I'd like to help you out, but there's just no way I can do what I want either. It's…that Godaime. You'd think I get enough nagging from my mother," Shika says as Shina looks up at him and pokes him on the nose.

"No frowning," she tells the man.

"You think your mother would watch the twins then?" Naruto asks as she strokes the top of Futarou's head and the little boy leans more into his mother's chest, while eating the very tasty jerky.

"I don't think she would have a problem with that, Naruto," Shika said as he smiles at the two. "She did help raise you as well, so you are like one of her kids, she'll want to see how your little ones are doing anyway."

"I just don't want them to get hurt on this mission since we might encounter Orochimaru, not only that but I have reasons why I don't want him or Sasuke knowing about them. It's just proving to be hard finding members for this mission, and I've already asked Team Kurenai, they have a mission already," Naruto said sighing.

"In that case, I'll give you a hand," a voice said behind them, making Shika look around her and Naruto to turn and look at the teen behind her. "Hey, Shikamaru! Here's the lunch your mother asked me to bring you," he said as he raised the obento up, showing the Nara symbol on the cloth it was wrapped in.

"Chouji!" Naruto grins as she saw him.

"Chouji, you sure you can say that so easily? Don't you have a mission with Asuma-Sensei and Ino?" Shika asked.

"Come on, we can't just ignore Naruto's request. I'll try talking to Asuma-sensei about it," Chouji said with a smile at the girl, and grins wider when he saw the twins. "So, you did have twins, huh? They're cute."

"Chouji thanks a lot!" Naruto says as she gives him a thumb up.

"Even if you say it to Asuma-sensei, he'll still say no. He has Tsunade-sama standing over him, after all…" Shikamaru says shaking his head at the man. On a roof, not too far from the group, sits a man who is readying his scroll. He takes his brush out and unrolls the scroll he will be using, taking the inkwell from the scroll.

"Hehe, still always eating away," Naruto tells Chouji who is eating some of his chips, the oversized male hands a handful to the twins, causing grins. "You're an even bigger fatass than before!" She didn't realize when Shika and Chouji noticed the other person, and when Shika grabs Naruto to get her out of the pathway, the foxes noticed and moved the twins. Chouji expands his fist as a huge drawn cat starts attacking the group. He takes out the huge cat with the fist, causing ink to splatter everywhere. Shika's eyes widen when he saw another heading straight towards them. He kept on looking around, while Chouji grabs this new one and smashes it until it splattered ink right behind the others.

"Over there," Shika said as he starts using his shadows, they saw the teen sitting on the roof with an ink brush in his hand, staring at them.

"I've never seen him before; he's wearing a Konoha headband!" Naruto says as she tries to focus her eyes to see him better.

"That came from nowhere, I've no idea what he's doing, but that guy needs to be captured," Shika says while he glares at the guy. "And handed over to the interrogation squad!" The teen starts to rapidly draw multiple big cats. "I'll cover you, go, Naruto!" He tells her as he starts focusing better.

"Got it!" Naruto shouts as she starts running towards the teen on the roof.

"Ninja Arts: Great Beast False Image," the teen says as he releases all of the cats from his scroll, making Naruto's eyes widen and the twins jumped from the two foxes, letting them stand in front of them. Naruto worried that the cats might get to her kids, even with the foxes protection there are multiple enemies that they would have to fight, so she started forming signs.

"Naruto, get down!" Shika shouts and she zips her eyes to him over her shoulder. "Ninpo: Kage Nui!" Shikamaru shoots his shadows out and they formed into tendrils that stabbed the cats, making them splatter everywhere. Naruto jumps up just as they were destroyed and slipped a Kunai from her sleeve while the teen took out his short sword. Their weapons made a loud clang as they clashed.

"Who the hell are you?!" Naruto demands.

"You're…fairly weak, so what **DO** you have between your legs?" The teen asks with a false smile on his lips.

"I said, who are you?!" She growls out to the teen male as her cheeks turn red, realizing that somehow this guy knows that she's both sexes. The guy looks down and noticed the shadow approaching him rapidly and he jumps up off of the roof.

"We'll meet again, Naruto-chan," he tells her as he disappears in a swirl of ink.

"Wait!" She screams out as the other two teens stare up where he disappeared.

"What…was that?" Shika asks as he now has a worried look on his face.

"Chouji! I thought I'd find you here!" A feminine voice says behind them, they turn to see Ino walking up to them. "For crying out loud! Asuma-sensei's angry that you still haven't shown up!"

"Sorry, Ino," he tells her as he frowns and turns to fully face the girl. "Some weird guy just started attacking us…"

"Weird guy?" Ino says and she looks at Naruto. "A weird guy, hey, is it Naruto?" She wonders as she notices the girl still standing on the roof.

"No, the weird guy's not Naruto, uh," he stops as he realizes that the girl isn't really listening to him.

"Naruto! Been a whiiiile!" She shouts to her.

"Its fine now, Chouji. Damn, this is troublesome," Shika says as he rubs his forehead. Ino looked over to see the foxes of Naruto's have grown bigger and are now laying down to give the twins an easier time getting on their backs.

"What's with the kids?" She asks and both Shika and Chouji wince, making her eyebrow raise. "Well?"

"They're my kids," Naruto says as she jumps down to fasten them back onto the foxes, making sure the straps were on right.

"What?!" Ino shouts as her jaw drops. "Well, who's the father?" Her asking this makes the two males step back as they wince yet again. "No, you don't mean…" She stops as she looks at the boy with blond and black hair, who also looks like a dead ringer for Sasuke. "I thought Sakura was just joking, you can't tell me that Sasuke really is with Naruto?"

"They have been since they graduated the Academy, Ino," Shika said as he worries she might go ballistic on all of them.

"Well, I guess I have no choice but to accept this, but it doesn't mean that I will like it much," she says as she crosses her arms while looking at the twins. "I can say that they do look like you both, well he does, where does she get her looks?"

"My mother," Naruto says as he strokes the red haired child. "She's the spitting image of my mother Uzumaki Kushina."

~3~

"Hiya," the black haired teen says to Naruto who has just arrived at their meeting place.

"Y…you!" She shouts out as she points her finger at him. Sakura looks from both of them trying to figure out when Naruto has met the teen.

"Um, from now on, team Kakashi, I'll be taking Kakashi's place as…" Yamato says and stops when he realized that they weren't listening.

"Naruto, do you know this person?" Sakura asked.

"Sorry about before, I just wanted to gauge the ability of my new team member. I just didn't know how much I'd have to look after the little prick with no balls." He tells them, making Naruto explode.

"What did you say?!" She growls out as her face shows how pissed off she was with his words.

"Hey! He's our teammate now! Cool down!" Sakura said as she restrains the blond girl. "But you're…not that nice," she says to the other male.

"Ahaha, really? I like people like you, friendly crones," he says with a false smile on his face.

"You what!?" Sakura screams out, making Yamato restrain her as Naruto crouches down, growling.

"Hey, remember what you just said to Naruto?!" The man tells the girl. "Anyway, from now on the four of us are off on a mission. But look at you…there's no time to toss you all in a cage and get you used to each other. So introduce yourselves."

"Uzumaki Naruto," the blond says as she glares at the boy off to the side.

"I'm Sakura Haruno," the pink haired girl has the same untrusting glare on her face as the blond.

"My name is Sai," the teen says with a false smile on his face.

"Well, now that we know each other, that's the end of that. Now, I'll explain our mission," Yamato says to the team. "From here, the four of us will proceed to the Tenchi Bridge. There we will intercept the spy Akatsuki has in Orochimaru's organization and bring them back. This is a chance for us to find out about Orochimaru and Uchiha Sasuke. We can gain a source of information which may lead to formulating a plan to assassinate Orochimaru and take Sasuke back, so keep focused! We will assemble at the front gate in one hour! After sorting out equipment, we will depart!"

~3~

"I really just…can't stand that asshole Sai!" Naruto said as she pouts while the two are walking back towards their homes in the village. "Why is he taking Sasuke's place? Three people are enough for the team Kakashi!"

"He's definitely very vulgar, but don't you think he resembles Sasuke somewhat? His face, his voice…" Sakura trails off as she watches the girls face transform into disgust.

"Hmph! Not a bit! Sasuke's cooler, no, he's just better!" The blond says as she puts her arms behind her head.

"You're right, Sasuke is somewhat cooler than Sai," she agrees with the girl while she smiles at her.

"What d'you mean 'somewhat'?! Sasuke's way better!" She shouts out.

~3~

Standing at the front gate the two glares at Sai who is standing there again with a fake smile. "Right then! Team Kakashi departs!" Yamato shouts and turns towards the forest path.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor to I gain any money for writing any of the stories that have these characters in them.

 **A/N:** Sorry, if it takes a little on this chapter, I've been delegated to distraction via the show Supernatural. Right now I'm watching the one where they have the first Supernatural Con, so just basically the first episode after my fav where they are playing in shows left and right because of the trickster Gabriel. Thanks everyone:

 **Melyway:** Yup, got to enjoy those.

 **Tsuokoblue:** It's fine; we all have those times where we don't realize everywhere is not the same. I've basically been living off of anime for more than ten years so when I see honest mistakes like this I don't tend to be rude and just let them know it is a mistake. To err is human, not counting even computers make mistakes.

 **Inuyasha16451:** You will see a lot more updates on this one than you did in the prelude story. Just remember that I am human and can get sick so if I do don't flip on me like so many others. "Why is it taking so long?" Yeah, that does get a little on the annoying side.

 **Chapter Seven**

As they continued down the pathway, Naruto keeps on glaring at her from the corner of her eyes. "What is it?" Sai asked.

 _'I guess they are a little alike, the voice too,'_ Naruto thought as she observes him.

"Please stop staring at me, don't make me hit you," he tells her and her face explodes into anger again.

"Every damn thing you say just pisses me off more!" She growls out as she holds up her clenched fist, imagining it pounding into the teen. _'Like I thought, he's nothing like Sasuke!'_

"I don't have any malice towards you," he tells her.

"Liar!" She shouts while pointing at him.

"I'm just trying to put on that kind of attitude," he says.

"Aha! You do have malice!" She growls out, "Why the hell are you here?! All you do is piss people off!"

"Hey, hey! Don't say something like that right in front of your captain, Naruto," Yamato says while looking back and forth between the two. "Teamwork and cooperation are the most important things in a team. I thought Kakashi-san had already taught you that. Someone like you in a team with the great Kakashi-san, what is it with you?"

"It's because he's not a member of team Kakashi!" Naruto shouts, pointing at the teen again. "The other member of Team Kakashi is…Sasuke!" As she says this, Sakura looks at the girl as she shows how much she cares about Sasuke on her face. "This guy is…just taking Sasuke's place, someone chosen to fill the gap. I'll never consider someone like him as a team member!" When she says this, Sai's lips turned up on the corners.

"Well, I'm glad you think of me that way, I wouldn't want to be likened to…the weak shit-for-brains Orochimaru's clone who only cared about power and ran off to Orochimaru, betraying Konoha," the black haired teen said as his face is now completely emotionless.

"You bastard," she says as her eyes narrow and her fists clench while she takes a step forward to only be stopped by Sakura raising her hand to stop her.

"Truly, the most important thing is teamwork," Sakura tells the black haired teen, while Naruto wonders what she is doing. "Sai, Naruto…since she doesn't know you all that well…she just said too much. I'm sorry, please forgive Naruto."

"Sa…Sakura-chan," Naruto said as she looks at the girl with a frown on her brow.

"Mmm, I'm glad at least one of you is reasonable," Yamato says as he looks down while sighing.

"Think nothing of it," Sai tells Sakura.

"Well, that's good," Sakura smiles, right before she smashes her fist into the boys face. He slides along the ground a good distance away from the other three. The only one who is really shocked is Yamato. "On the other hand, me, you don't have to forgive. I will protect the father of Naruto's kids, even if it is against a member of my own team. They do not deserve anyone saying that their father is like that. I also don't want Naruto to have to kill you because of your own stupidity."

"You fooled me completely, that fake laugh before," he said as he wipes off the blood and smiles at her.

"Since you don't seem to know anything about Sasuke-kun, don't talk about things you have no idea of!" Naruto calmly listens to her, watching their altercation. "If you bad-mouth Sasuke one more time, I won't hold back."

"Hehe, gotcha, I won't say anything in front of you, but that you can use a fake smile like that, I'll remember that." Sai says.

"You've just been hit, why're you acting so cheerful?!" Naruto asks him.

"A smile's the best way to get out of trouble, even if it's fake. Amazingly, it fools everyone. I read that in a book before," he tells the blond. "It doesn't look like it works here though."

"Shichuutou no Jutsu!" Yamato creates a cage out of wood, right behind him. "If you guys won't stop arguing, I'll have to toss you in a cage. I said we don't have time before we go to the Tenchi Bridge, but there's five days." Naruto shrinks back as she thought of being just like Kyuubi inside of that cage, while Sai doesn't even make a reaction.

 _'That…that's…the first Hokage's secret Jutsu,'_ Sakura thought as her eyes widened. _'Mokuton Ninjutsu! What could Yamato…What kind of person is this?"_

"As the mediator here, here's my proposition. You can spend a day or so in the cage to work out your differences, or we can go to a hotel that has hot springs. What'll it be? You guys don't really know me well either," he tells the three and holds a really creepy expression on his face as he looks at them. "I like being nice and friendly, but I don't have any problems with ruling by fear either.

~3~

Naruto is resting, enjoying the hot springs, she sighs as she sits right next to Sakura who is leaning her head back against a rock. "You know, I hope there aren't any boys over there peeping into the ladies bath." As she says this, quite a few girls start panicking and speaking at once until Naruto grins and holds her hand up.

"I know how it is, wondering if you are being peeped on in the baths, I trained alongside with a pervy sage that loves peeping in even if I'm in there. I found out from him after I beat his ass one time that I'm not the only one who done that to him. He was peeping in on Tsunade when she was in the baths and regretted it afterwards, when she almost killed him. Breaking six ribs and both arms, so if you are anything like your master that means that I don't have to worry about being peeped on." Naruto says loud enough for even the guys in the male side to hear. All of the women on their side now hold huge grins on their faces as the males make sure to distance themselves from the barrier wall separating both baths.

~3~

Naruto walked a little slowly when she noticed that Sai was at the river side with Sakura, "To be more precise, even if I try to give them titles, I just can't do it." He tells the girl and she gives him a confused stare. "They don't put me in mind of anything. I don't…feel anything." Sakura's eyes widened.

"I guess that's why you're always talking so insensitively!" Naruto says with a distrusting glare. "We're about to go! Yamato-Taichou told me to come and get you."

"Ok," Sakura says as she turns and stretches while Naruto walks over to see the picture that Sai was working on.

"Hmph! That picture's nothing special!" She says, denying his artistic ability.

"That's about right. Just like your penis," he replies back with another fake smile making her grunt at him.

"I'm not kidding at all when I say I really can't stand you!" She points at him again. "If you've got something you wanna say to me, quit the fake smile and tell me to my face! If it's a fight you're after, I'm game!"

"That's not it at all, I really don't think anything of you," he tells her over his shoulder. "Please go ahead, I'll be right there when I'm done cleaning."

"I'll give you a hand," Sakura said as she bent down to pick up a book, noticing the picture on the front of it. "This…isn't printed, did you draw this too?" She asks as she holds it out to him.

"Yeah," he says taking it from her.

"Ahhhh, a picture book?" She asks, as Naruto grunts out, irritated that she's even having a conversation with Sai. "Hey, could you show it to me while we're on the way?"

"I can't do that, because it's incomplete, and I don't give it to other people, because it's my brothers." The teen says as they never even really notice that Yamato is closer than they think, listening in to their conversation. As they continued onto their mission, Naruto kept on shooting him a look every so often, really wondering what the deal is with him.

~3~

"Here's just fine," Yamato says as he creates them a giant sized house in the middle of the woods for them to sleep in for the night. "We'll camp here for the night."

"I wouldn't really call this camping," Sakura said as she stares up at the size of the house.

"Everyone, come here for a bit, and Sakura, there's something I'd like you to tell me," Yamato tells them.

"What is it?" She asks.

"It's about Sasori of the Akatsuki, I got Sasori's file from the Sand as a starter, but tell me about his behavior, characteristics and habits. Because you're the only one who's ever seen Sasori," he tells her.

"Why're you asking that?" Naruto wonders, as she slowly unzips her jacket, showing the black tank top beneath it, straining against her breasts.

"The Akatsuki spy in Orochimaru's ranks will come to the Tenchi Bridge expecting Sasori. He might see through it right away, but its best to transform into Sasori to approach him," Yamato explains.

"Being a spy brings its fair share of risks, so he will most likely be on his guard," Sai states.

"Just in case this is a trap set by Akatsuki, I will go ahead alone first. You will all be on standby waiting for my instructions," Yamato says.

"Given that there was an Akatsuki spy in the Sand, Yuura and that he said it when he was about to die, I really don't think he was lying," Sakura says.

"Still, that spy, he must be extremely skillful," Sai said.

"Let's do it," Naruto said as her brow furrows.

"Right, now for the real problem, I've already told you the concrete plans for the mission up ahead. Our objective is purely capture; under no circumstances must the target be killed, even if it results in battle. If they are killed, we will have lost a valuable information source. This mission is more difficult than simply defeating the enemy. Given that it's a target mission, I'll be the first to go in, and you will all act as backup. The strategy is simple; first, I will restrain the target. Second, if I fail to restrain them and a battle situation arises, you will all prepare to fight. I'll signal you in that case, and if we reach a situation as in part two, then we must fight via the buddy system. When one person moves, the other will look after them. The principle of the system is mutual support. Now, I'll decide on the buddies," he says as he looks at them. "First, Naruto and Sai. Second, Sakura and myself."

"But," Sakura objects.

"Sakura, you are our only medical Ninja. So that you are not injured yourself, I will be with you," he tells her and the other two stare at each other.

"Hiya," Sai said as he realizes that she has big breasts.

"Yamato-taichou! Why the hell am I with…?" Naruto stops what she was going to say as she points at the teen.

"Pardon?" Yamato asks with a scary look on his face. "Keeping all that in mind, this isn't exactly normal, but tomorrow, we'll spend a day on a simulation for team playing. I know nothing about all of you other than what's in your files. I'd like to know about things like your fighting methods, battle skills, and array of Jutsu, and through getting to know each other, smoothen up your teamwork. You might think I'm being serious, but that's how I do things, so put your all in it."

~3~

The next day they found themselves training, Naruto and Sai charge at Yamato, trading hits and kicks. "Give it more than that!" He says and watches as Sai holds his hand out to Naruto, who forms her Rasengan in the palm of Sai's hand, making Yamato's eyes widen. He forms wood around Sai, making Naruto's clone turn back to normal as Naruto flips over her clone. She knocks Yamato down while Sai creates a binding snake.

"You're not getting away!" She shouts while grabbing the front of his shirt, holding him up a little bit. Sai sends the snake and it wraps around both of them. "What, why both of us?!" She suddenly notices that Yamato used a Kawarimi so now she's just holding a wooden dummy. "Hurry, get this off me!"

 _'Over there?'_ Sai wonders, turning away from her.

"Hey! Sai! Get this off me!" Naruto growls out.

~3~

Sai finally captures Yamato and unties the man's hands. "Excellent capture, Sai, the simulation ends here," he tells the teen as Naruto approaches the group; she grabs Sai by the front of his shirt and glares at him.

"What is it?" Sai asked.

"Do you know what the word 'companion' means?" She asked as she bares her teeth at him. He pulls out a scroll and writes the word companion on it, showing everyone.

"Of course I know what about it?" He asked and Naruto grits her teeth, irked that he doesn't understand what she means.

"Hey, hold on, Naruto," Sakura said, trying to calm the girls temper down.

"Please don't lay the blame on others for your own minimal amount of ability," he tells her with a straight face. "Had you not fallen for the Captain's obvious provocation, I would have been able to stay hidden without being exposed. You went and had your clone transform into me, then made it obvious by using your own Jutsu. It's not pleasant to fight while looking after someone who can't even keep herself in check. I just worked with the success of the mission in mind," Naruto shoves him away from her, letting him go before she pounds on his face.

"I will never consider you a companion or a member of Team Kakashi," she tells him as she turns her back to him.

"This really was pointless, wasn't it?" Yamato asked as he puts his hand to his head, wondering how he could get these two to get along.

"What would Sasuke have done in that situation? Fought while looking after you? As a companion and a member of Team Kakashi?" Sai asked with a fake smile on his face making Naruto glare over her shoulder at him.

 _'No, Naruto can't hold out much longer!'_ Sakura clenches her fist in front of his chest.

"The one who betrayed the village and injured you, you still refer to him as a friend?" Sai asks, and she turns a little to look at him over her shoulder.

"If it's to save that friend, that is also a father of my kids, I'll do anything. Even work with you," she says and stares him down.

 _'Naruto,'_ Sakura looks at her with a concerned face.

"Why does she still care about Sasuke that much?" Sai asked Sakura as Naruto walks further away.

"Naruto is in love with Sasuke, that's why. Do you have someone you love, even if it's not in a romantic way? Don't you understand that feeling?" Sakura asked him and he lies.

"No, not at all," he tells her with a small smile appearing on his lips. "Remember what we were saying about picture titles? I have none of what you'd call 'emotions'."

"You say you don't feel anything…you say you don't have emotions, what do you mean?" Sakura asked.

"Just what I said," Sai tells her and she turns to look at Naruto, who places her hand on a tree, digging her nails into the tree.

"In that case, if you have a brother, can't you imagine what it's like when he's not there?" She asks.

"Hmm, yeah, sort of, since my brother's already dead," he says with a smile.

"Then you really should…" Before Sakura could finish, Sai interrupts her.

"Hmm, should I have used that kind of expression?" He asked and Sakura watched Naruto pick up her back pack.

"Is there something you want to say?" She asked Sai.

"Not really, I just didn't know what kind of expression to put on when my brother died," he tells her.

 _'This guy…'_ Sakura thought as her brows narrowed.

"Enough talking for now, were about to go, so go get your stuff," Yamato tells them and Sai sighs, about to turn and grab his stuff.

"Sai, to be honest, I would have sent you flying just there. I told you that if you badmouthed Sasuke once more, I wouldn't hold back," she says with a glare turned on him. "But I didn't do that because of what Naruto just said that to save Sasuke, she'd even work with someone like you who bad-mouths him. No matter who you are, to save Sasuke, I won't hurt you."

"Sakura, you're very…" He pauses and closes his eyes. "Yeah, you're very gentle with Naruto, aren't you? I don't understand feelings like those; it was in a book I read…"

"Come on, let's get going. If we're not there by noon tomorrow, this'll all be for nothing!" Naruto tells the others.

~3~

"Here we are," Yamato says as they approach the entrance to Tenchi Bridge, they hunkered down to wait behind some boulders until they saw an approaching figure in a cloak.

"Yamato-taichou, good luck," Sakura tells him as she watches his slower approach than the figure in a cloak.

 _'That's…'_ Yamato stops himself as he notices who the person was.

"It has been six years," Kabuto says, moving his cloak to the side, showing his face even more.

 _'Yakushi Kabuto,'_ Yamato thinks as he is disguised as the puppeteer. "Were you followed?" He gruffly asks the young man.

"No, it is safe," he says with uncertainty.

"How are you?" Yamato asks him.

"When your Jutsu was lifted, and I remembered who I really was, I felt somewhat disoriented, I am still somewhat heavy-headed," he says.

"Him again!" Naruto grits out quietly.

"No way, Kabuto was the Akatsuki spy all along," Sakura says with a surprised filled voice.

"I have some questions for you," Yamato said.

"I have little time, so please make it brief. It was a great risk to slip away from Orochimaru to come here," Kabuto tells him.

"Tell me about the location of your base and about Uchiha Sasuke," he says with a gruff tone.

"We have many bases, to keep from being discovered, we change bases on a weekly basis. There are, of course, bases in countries besides the Sound. Orochimaru's spies enter those countries and guide us, but we have various movement methods, which can sometimes be cumbersome. Our current base is hidden on a small island in a lake to the North. We will move from there in three days. Sasuke Uchiha is also there," Kabuto finishes.

"The wind's really strong; I can't pick up anything they're saying!" Naruto complains as she is now starting to get impatient.

"Idiot! That's why we're able to go so close! Our sound and scent are carried away by the wind, so they don't know we're here," Sakura tells her as Kabuto gets startled by something and throws a Kunai at some bushes. A rabbit sticks its head out and then bounces off.

"What…just a wild rabbit…" He said as he stares at the bushes. In the darkness where the rabbit disappeared shows Orochimaru with his snake wrapped around him, the head down on the ground eating the rabbit. The man grins wickedly, while watching the two on the bridge. "By the way, about that one task you asked of me, Lord Sasori."

 _'Not good, I still needed to get a few more things out of him, but if I continue this conversation any longer I'll blow my own cover,'_ Yamato thought.

"Even after his transmigration, Orochimaru cast a Jutsu on the cellular specimen of the leftover corpse in order to protect it, I was unable to perform any data analysis of that specimen," Kabuto said.

"I see," Yamato says making Kabuto stare at the man silently.

"Just what is he doing?!" Naruto practically shrieks. "Why doesn't he just go ahead with the capture already!?"

"This is Kabuto we're talking about here, if he were to get away, and then things would end here. Taking things almost too carefully here is just what the captain needs to be doing," Sakura tells her.

"Still, if he takes things more carefully than he needs to and ends up arousing suspicion, then he'll lose his chance to capture the target," Sai said and they all continued watching.

"On that note, please give me the item we talked about, I can't continue to stay here much longer. If it's found out that I'm meeting with you here like this, I'll be killed," Kabuto says while holding his hand out.

"Very well," Yamato says, _'End of the line, it's either now or never!'_ He thought as he draws a Kunai out of his sleeve, just as Orochimaru appears, really closely behind Kabuto.

"Your conversation seems quite amusing; you wouldn't mind if I joined in, would you?" Orochimaru asked as he looks at the young male.

 _'He was followed!'_ Yamato thought as his eyes widened as Orochimaru makes his snake wrap around Kabuto, but the man jumps free, leaving his cloak behind.

"Orochimaru!" Naruto gasps out.

 _'So that's him,'_ Sai thought as he looked as closely to the other male.

"I almost wasn't able to step back in time but thanks to you taking out your Kunai, Lord Sasori, I was," Kabuto tells the male.

 _'I suppose I've at least escaped detection for now, still, now that Orochimaru's here, what should I do?'_ Yamato thought as he stares at the man.

"That cloak of yours, it brings back memories, Sasori," he said.

"So you followed Kabuto here then?" Yamato grits out.

"What now, I just wanted to give you some thanks. That lovely boy there you sent me, I was able to make quite good use of him," Orochimaru said with his voice sounding like he was having fun. "In order for me to develop a new Jutsu, I needed to conduct experiments on well over a hundred live human subjects. Thanks to that boy's medical Ninjutsu, I was able to use the same test subject any number of times. I have quite a hard time coming across enough test subjects, after all."

"What do we do now!?" Naruto asks.

"All we can do is wait for the captains' signal," Sakura said.

 _'In all likelihood, me taking on Orochimaru by myself is out of the question, but if I call in the others, then Kabuto will know my identity, and capturing him will prove difficult. Even if I try to work with Kabuto and subdue Orochimaru, my fighting style will make it clear in an instant that I'm not Sasori,'_ Yamato thought as he continued to observe them. _'Either way, I'm left with the choice of defeating him or just retreating, but just one or the other…'_ Suddenly, Kabuto covers his hand with Chakra, making it into a scalpel and slices through Yamato's disguise, shocking the man. Staring at him, Kabuto's lips are covered in a smile as Yamato retreats with a wound to the arm. _'Did he figure me out? No, just what's going on!?'_ Yamato wonders as he holds a hand over the slice in his arm. Orochimaru uses a Jutsu that sends about ten snakes after him, making them wrap around the man. As a snake bites him in the neck, he uses a body replacement Jutsu and puts a piece of wood shaped like him in his spot. Kabuto hisses out in disappointment when he saw the man land on the other side of the bridge.

"This is a substitution Jutsu used with a wood technique," Orochimaru observes, "You couldn't be…"

"Lord Orochimaru, is that the real Sasori?" He asks the man as he wouldn't take his eyes off of him, the thud of the wood sounds behind them.

"No, it is not…Kabuto, are you telling me that you, one of Sasori's own subordinates, don't even know his real face?" He asks the young man with a smile on his face.

"Well, he was a gloomy individual after all, always hiding in that puppet of his," he says.

"What are you talking about!?" Yamato wonders as he is looking at both men. "Kabuto, you're supposed to be an 'Akatsuki' spy. You should have been under the effects of Sasori's Jutsu all the while."

"Ah yes, that Jutsu…Lord Orochimaru freed me from it quite some time ago," he says with a smile on his face, while Orochimaru crosses his arms.

"I wasn't expecting you to change sides, acting as though you were still under the effects of Sasori's Jutsu. I suppose this means you fell prey to Orochimaru's Jutsu then," Yamato says as he furrows his brows.

"No, not exactly, all I fell prey to was Lord Orochimaru's magnificent way of thinking," he says as he spreads his arms wide. "I chose this path myself, but tell me, who are you anyway? We came here with the intention of killing Sasori, so this is quite the mishap."

"Kabuto, I'll tell you about this little boy here afterwards, but first things first, why don't you call out those three little mice hiding in the brush?" Orochimaru says, looking at the man, who is now more familiar to him.

 _'So he's seen through everything already,'_ Yamato thought as he makes the sign for the rest of the team to come out. The three zip out of the bushes and lands right in front of him as to protect him.

"You again," Kabuto said as he looks the blond girl over, appreciating the changes that happened from the years that passed.

"Kuku, I've seen that face multiple number of times, since the Kyuubi girl is here too. Let's play with them a little bit then," Orochimaru said as he narrows his eyes in glee, staring at Naruto's face that is showing her Kyuubi to everyone. "I'll give you the pleasure of telling you which has gotten stronger, you or Sasuke."


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and I sure as heck don't get any money from writing their stories.

 **A/N:** I'm so happy, I will be getting my laptop soon, hopefully, it's supposed to be arriving either today or something. Anyway, we have been having issues with so many computers that we decided to make sure that it won't happen again and using a laptop should be better. Just wondering though, I've been having so much technical issues that this chapter is out later than I planned. I hope you guys don't get too impatient about it being a little late.

 **InuYasha16451:** I'm glad you enjoyed this.

 **Chapter Eight**

"Give Sasuke…back…" Naruto growls out as her glance looks down at the bridge. The Kyuubi's cloak starts to cover her, drawing the other's attention to her.

"There is no giving back, Naruto. Here, let me explain it to you," Kabuto tells the girl. "Sasuke came to us of his own free will; it's about time you got over it. Going on like that is hardly behaving as a woman." When he says this, Sakura's expression turned pissed and she glares right at the young male.

"Shut your mouth! Four-eyes! You don't know a damned thing about Naruto's feelings! I've had more than enough of your 'cool' attitude!" She shouts at him.

"If you want to know about Sasuke, why don't you try forcing it out of me? If you can, that is…" Orochimaru said as he taunts them, making Naruto flash off, leaving a broken spot in the wood of the bridge, showering her two teammates as they grunt and shield them from the debris. She now has a full cloak with just one tail, drawing her clawed hand towards Orochimaru; she hits him full on, making him fly off into the forest. She lands right where Orochimaru was standing, glaring towards the direction where she hit him. Kabuto is shocked as he blocks himself from the flying debris; she looks at him over her shoulder.

 _'Naruto, is this…!?'_ Sakura wonders as she covers her mouth.

 _'What is that?'_ Sai wonders in his head.

 _'So it's true, it ended up happening just as I was told…'_ Yamato thought as he remembered what he was told by Jiraiya and Kakashi.

"Naruto, I see you've developed very nicely as a 'Jinchuuriki'," Kabuto said with a sly smile on his face. _'The Kyuubi's power is becoming ever stronger, no doubt…'_ Sakura's eyes widened when she remembers what Chiyo told her about Jinchuuriki's.

 _'Naruto…'_ She thought as she looks at her friend, who is still staring at Kabuto. Orochimaru stands up and starts to walk back to the others; his covering on his face is ripped, showing the body that he possesses true face.

"My oh my, you sure have become quite the 'Jinchuuriki', Naruto," he seethed out, silkily, making Naruto's eyes widened as she flashes her eyes back to look at the male. "That explains why you were chosen to watch over him, it would appear my experiments were of some help after all. I should think Konoha would be a bit more appreciative, wouldn't you agree, dearest guinea pig of mine?" He asked Yamato who is just looking at him with a blank stare, while Sakura looks at the man.

"Guinea pig? Just who is this person?" Kabuto asks his master who is now repairing his face.

"Well, you see, the first Hokage was a Shinobi possessing the most unique of abilities, his wood type Ninjutsu and, what's more, he was able to bend 'tailed beasts' to his own will. Oh how I coveted those gifts of his, heh heh." He chuckles as his memories went back to those children he had experimented on. "Having obtained data on the First's genome from his remains, I carried out an experiment in which his genetic traits were spliced into the cells of 60 different children, my test subjects. But their bodies didn't seem to like the foreign DNA, to say the least, they died by the dozens, one after another…and here I thought they'd all shared the same fate, to think there was a lone survivor."

 _'That explains why the Captain can use the First's Wood Type Ninjutsu,'_ Sakura thought as she looked at him.

"Well then, it seems you'll be able to get your hands on what one might call a long overdue research sample," Kabuto says to Orochimaru with another evil smirk on his face.

"Yes, but before that, I would wish to see our Sasuke fight the Kyuubi girl once. I wonder which has gotten stron-" Orochimaru gets interrupted.

"He isn't yours," she growls out as two tails form at once on the cloak. "In my presence, don't you dare talk of Sasuke as though he belongs to you!"

"That's…" Yamato stops as he stares at the very emotional girl.

 _'What is that…that Chakra!?'_ Sakura wonders as her eyes widen.

 _'This air, it hurts…'_ Sai thought as he kept on getting hit by tiny rocks, leaving abrasions on his skin. Suddenly, the air burst out the Kyuubi's Chakra as it whips around the furious girl. She growls, constantly, as her bright red eyes glare at the two. The Kyuubi decides to cast a little illusion on Orochimaru, showing the man her full size before she roars out at him, destroying his illusion form. The wind rips around the man, knocking him back and forth with the Chakra winds that are pulsating off of the girl.

 _'How amusing,'_ he thought as he smiles, watching the girl who doesn't even notice that the railing on the left side of her has snapped apart before the right side follows suit.

 _'No doubt about it, that's the demon-fox cloak, and three tails already,'_ Yamato thought as he observes her some more.

 _'S-so this is the power of a 'Jinchuuriki'…this horrifying Chakra,'_ Sakura wonders as she tries to control her shaking. _'I can tell just by how it feels on my skin, this isn't any kind of Chakra that can be controlled!'_

 _'So, this is Naruto Uzumaki, with the power of Kyuubi,'_ Sai thought as he stares on as Kabuto covers his hand with his Chakra again, rushing towards the girl, intending to attack her. She notices this and looks at him, growling out, hitting him with a Chakra blast, causing the bridge right before him to break apart. Kabuto flies off from the blast quickly, while Sakura falls back enough to hit her head on the bridge. You could hear the ground breaking as Kabuto steadily is repelled by the girls Chakra.

 _'Using nothing but her Chakra,'_ he thought as he grins back at the girl, interested in her even more so now. A bigger portion of the bridge starts breaking off, taking Sakura with them when Yamato creates supports to hold up the bridge. Naruto stays on the breaking part of the bridge, watching as Orochimaru jumps back enough to get off of the bridge altogether. She creates a claw with the cloak and shoots it up, making the man dodge it to avoid getting hit by the pure Chakra limb that grabs onto a tree, pulling her up and off of the bridge. Yamato notices that Sakura is still unconscious but sliding down ever so slightly down the slope on the bridge.

 _'Did she hit her head when she fell just a second ago!? She sure picked a hell of a time to lose consciousness,'_ he thought as he tries to keep up his Jutsu so the bridge didn't fall.

 _'This is it,'_ Sai thought as he took out a scroll, _'This is where my top-secret mission begins.'_ He starts drawing a bird and makes it come to life with his Jutsu, jumping onto the birds back he starts flying off.

"Sai! Help Sakura!" Yamato shouts at the boy as his wood starts to detach from the cliff that the roots dug into. He helplessly watched as Sakura's body slides off completely, falling right above Sai, who doesn't even try to catch her. "Oh please," he grits out as he slams his hand down onto the bridge, growing the wood out, quickly enough to catch the girl, drawing a relieved sigh from his lips. Right above where Naruto and Orochimaru are, Sai floats around on his bird, watching their movements. A huge blast appears to come from their battle, knocking Orochimaru back a little to where he could land on a branch, with one less arm. He starts to shed his body as his hands pry the head apart.

"You're using the power of a 'Jinchuuriki' and that's all you have to show?" He goads the girl as he spreads the mouth wider, shoving his body out of the mouth. "You still have ways to go to catch up with Sasuke." As he stares at the girl, he starts to notice a new tail starting to form. Naruto starts grunting out even more, kneeling down on the ground, as the Chakra gets even stronger.

 _'I said stop!'_ Naruto shouts out in her mind as she runs off after Sasuke. _'Wait, don't go!'_ She cries out and starts choking on the water. _'Sasuke…'_ Holding her hand out towards him, she watches as his form disappears. Kyuubi watching this whole thing that seems like a repetitive dream to the girl, has a sad expression on her face as she draws the girl who is looking like she's losing all hope of regaining the love of her life. She watches as Naruto goes through the bars of her cage, she grabs the girl gently in her claws, drenching the Chakra veins with her Chakra. In doing so, she now has control of the girl's body.

She hated having to do this, as she watches the skin strip from the girl's body, making more blood pool up and evaporate as it exits the cloak. She forms a dark ball around Naruto's body, making sure that no attack could be completed, just to protect her while she changes her body even more so.

 _'This sensation, quite different from what I've seen so far,'_ Orochimaru thought as he couldn't take his eyes off of the girl who has an even stronger protective shell now than before.

 _'Naruto's going to be a problem,'_ Sai thought as he watches the girl from the top of his bird. The Kyuubi breaks through her own barrier with a huge roar that echoes throughout the whole area, causing huge gusts of wind to tear through the trees. Sai had to hurry and cover his face, shielding himself from the debris that is flying, wildly, he loses all concentration and his bird splatters right underneath him. The huge crater is shown when the wind dies down, showing Naruto's form in the middle of it.

"Honestly, this girl…she simply amuses me to no end," Orochimaru says as he flicks his tongue out of his mouth from the position that he is laying down on the ground. Sai ends up landing on a branch, close enough to see the two. Now, that Naruto is revealed, it shows the changes to the girl's body as she crouches down on all fours, looking like she's covered in nothing but reddish black fur, growling as Yamato's clone stands there shocked.

 _'Oh crap,'_ he thought as he stared right at the girl/fox. Orochimaru opens his mouth and releases, tons of snakes that race straight at the girl. They in turn open their mouths, drawing daggers out, aiming for the fox. She raises her claws and shoots Chakra straight at the snakes, making another blast of wind, beat at the others. _'A shockwave that big with the wave of just one hand!? This can't be real!'_ Yamato's clone thought as he blocks his face.

 _'I'm not going to be getting any closer like this,'_ Sai thought as he blocks his face as well. The fox raises her hands, bringing them down to dig them deep into the ground, shocking Orochimaru, who starts to run from where he was standing. As soon as he moves, the fox's hands pops out, trying to grab him. She notices that he has run to dodge her attack she makes another hand shoot out from one of the arms that is protruding the ground. It chases after Orochimaru who ends up sliding along the ground. He grins and shoots a snake out from his body and it wraps around the arm, which makes the snake start to decompose as it touches it. Orochimaru realizes his mistake and has to quickly shed another skin so that he wouldn't decompose with the snake that is still attached to his body.

He shoots his body quickly towards the fox, making it look like the lower half of it is serpentine. He brings his fist back to strike the fox right in the face, causing her to reel back until she decides to use her Chakra to create another version of herself that pops out from her chest raising its claw to attack him. She slices through his body, separating the upper from the lower that quickly sprouts snakes from both halves, reattaching them together. Orochimaru spins around to stare at the growling fox that suddenly starts roaring out, while shooting Chakra orbs out, ones that are blue and black. The orbs showed that they were both the Kyuubi's, the black, while the blue is Naruto's Chakra. She then arches her tails up to start drawing in the orbs, turning them into one huge black ball.

"Oh dear, this is trouble indeed," Orochimaru says while he watches the black orb over the foxes open mouth. The Kyuubi starts compressing the orb, which makes Orochimaru start to retreat to a greater distance from her. _'Even for me, being hit by such highly concentrated Chakra would spell out unavoidable death.'_

 _'So, in search of stability, the Chakra that leaked out is attempting to create a form even closer to that of the Kyuubi, and 'that' truly is a miniature Kyuubi, with Naruto's body acting as little more than a skeleton.'_ Yamato thinks as he stares down at the fight. _'This Kyuubi Chakra here is different than what I saw before, both in terms and of its quantity and character. Most notably, it reeks of malice. With that kind of Chakra wrapped around one's body, normally you'd…so why…why is she still able to move?'_ He wonders as the female is continuously making the Chakra ball smaller. _'Naruto, just what's happening to you?'_ As the man is observing, Sai gets a bad premonition and jumps to a closer tree that hides him from sight. Kyuubi opens her mouth until she can fit the ball inside of it, chomping down on the ball, her body starts getting so heavy that it slumps down onto the ground.

 _'So you ingest that concentrated Chakra making it harder for you to move, but just how do you plan on fighting me then? Heh heh.'_ Orochimaru chuckles silently, until the Kyuubi's body expands to almost resemble a ball, shocking the man. Smoke emits from her mouth until she opens it fully, releasing the strong blast from inside of her. _'So that's how, huh,'_ he grins and bites down on both of his thumbs, watching the blast head straight for him, he summons his Triple Rashoumon. The three gates pop up, ready to protect the man from the blast that is heading straight for him.

 _'What is with this battle? This isn't going to be just a simple matter of me finding an opening and making things work somehow,'_ Yamato's clone thinks as he grunts from surprise. The blast hits the gates, causing a huge explosion and shock waves from it to fan out, hitting those that are nearby. Kyuubi stands there in wait as she tries to see the man through the dust flying everywhere. What she sees as it clears almost makes her laugh out, since the man is now with his head stuck in the ground. She controls her amusement though as she notices that it's just a trick to distract her from the head traveling underground as a sword pops out, aiming right at her chest. Orochimaru's head pops out with the lengthened neck, sending the fox flying back, making her land right besides Kabuto, and shocking two of her teammates. The dust clears, revealing her to the three that were standing there, back at the bridge.

"She's become even more like the Kyuubi than she was just a few minutes ago, I see," Kabuto says with a smirk on his lips.

"Naruto…" Sakura says as she looks at her with worried eyes, realizing that something must have gone majorly wrong.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, and I sure as hell don't gain money from writing them. I just love seeing the crap I can put them through when I change the storyline around.

 **A/N:** I have yet to get my laptop; it's supposed to arrive sometime today though, so I might be able to use it soon. I've gotten a little sick the past few days, so this one was out later than I was planning. I hope you all love and enjoy this chapter.

 **Chapter Nine**

Kyuubi sits there, not believing that the man decided to try and impale her with his sword, while the others stare on. "At this point, it's no longer a fight between Ninja," Kabuto says with a smile. "As much as a fight between **monsters** , wouldn't you agree?" He asks her as he starts laughing.

 _'Naruto,'_ Sakura worries over the girl, knowing that she's hurting more in the heart than what the Kyuubi is doing to her body; she touches her hand showing that worry.

"Naruto ended up over here," Yamato states as he looks at his teammate with worry filling his eyes.

 _'My, my! Not even the sword of Kusanagi managed to cut through!'_ Orochimaru thinks as he watches the Kyuubi grab his sword, throwing it away from her body, making Yamato grab Sakura to quickly move out of their warpath. The bridge took the last hit that it could and started crumbling completely as Orochimaru's eyes widen in surprise the other three lands at a safer distance from the two. The older male withdraws his sword, drawing a loud roar from Kyuubi.

"Will you look at that, I guess she wanted to save Sasuke badly enough to end up like that," Kabuto jokes, smiling eerily at the two fighting, making Sakura remember all the things Naruto has said throughout their ordeal in trying to get Sasuke back, drawing tears to her eyes. "Right now, she's not even conscious, what a sad kid," he said as he notices the beastly gaze in the Kyuubi's eyes, showing that she is the one in control. The tears lose their holding and start running down Sakura's cheeks, making her grit her teeth as she starts running off towards the two fighting.

"Sakura, stop! You can't go near Naruto right now!" Yamato screams at her, the girl runs right past Kabuto, making him glare at the girl.

"Naruto! This…that's enough! I'll save Sasuke for you!" She cries out and stumbles a little. "So Naruto, it's enough! You don't need-" Kyuubi's attention flashes over to the girl that she despises with a passion.

 _'Not good!'_ Yamato worries as he starts making seals, but before he could grab her with his wood, Kyuubi swings one of her tails, slamming Sakura into the ground with the strike of it.

"Oh, dear," Kabuto says sarcastically, watching as the girl groans while clutching the arm that has taken the hit. Kyuubi moans out as Yamato wraps her completely in wood, subduing her from attacking Sakura even more. As the fox struggles to get out of her bindings Yamato feels disappointed in himself.

 _'Damn! Seems I wasn't quick enough!'_ He chastises himself as Kabuto starts walking towards Sakura, making Yamato's eyes widen. As some wood wraps around the younger males arm he looks over at the older male. "You're not going anywhere."

"Now, now, you're jumping to conclusions. I no longer mean you any harm. Quite the contrary!" He tells him as he steadily stares at the man.

"What do you mean?" Yamato asks as he watches Kabuto sending the girl a stream of his Chakra, healing her arm as best as he could.

"Your side and mine have something in common, Akatsuki's a thorn in our side," he said as he steadily tries to heal the girl. "As I see it, if we let you live, there's a chance you might take out another Akatsuki member for us." As he continues healing her she opens her eyes and looks over to see that he was healing her. Kyuubi starts getting furious at the meddling boy who is healing her damage to the brat that she wants to get rid of. "That said, it was you who brought that thing here, so you're the ones who'll have to do something about it," he says as he looks at the fox. _'Lord Orochimaru's time's nearly up.'_ He thought as he disappears, making Yamato sigh in relief.

 _'It's now or never!'_ He thought as he grits his teeth and speedily creates seals, activating his submission Jutsu, slamming the palm that has the command 'sit' on it on the Kyuubi's chest. Using the Jutsu activates his wood growth that pops up submission pillars around the fox, these pillars draw out the power in the necklace of the First Hokage's that reels the power back into Naruto's control, calming the girl in the process. Her screaming loudly gets even louder as her form is being shown, with what looks like burn marks all over her body.

 _'Naruto,'_ Sakura winces as she gets up and stares at her friend, she rushes over to the blond who has collapsed after Yamato was finished reigning back the Kyuubi. She starts healing her immediately, watching as the burns disappear off of her body. _'It's taking too long, if she were healing like before, the Kyuubi's Chakra would be working faster.'_

 _'This fourth tail Jiraiya-sama spoke about, I still can't believe what I saw,'_ Yamato thought as he watches the pink haired healer exerting herself in trying to heal their teammate as quick as possible. The injury from when the Kyuubi attacked her shoots a sharp pain up her arm, making her wince. Yamato watches as she's panting even more than usual as Naruto grunts from the pain of her burns healing.

"Captain Yamato, that Jutsu you stopped Naruto with just now, would you…would you be willing to teach it to me?" Sakura asks him.

"I'm afraid I can't, you see, being compatible with Shodai-sama's cells, I'm the only person in Konoha who can use it," he tells the girl as he looks at her with pity-filled eyes, realizing why she wanted to learn it. "The ability to suppress the Kyuubi's Chakra by force, still, as the lab experiment that I am, my powers will never measure up to the originals," he explains as she looks over at him. "You know that stone Naruto wears around her neck? It belonged to Shodai Hokage-sama; it's a Chakra crystal that responds to his Chakra alone. With it, you can control the power of Jinchuuriki, it's said these powers are what let, Shodai Hokage-sama become Hokage in the first place, and it's also because of them that I was made your squad commander, see?"

"Same as always," Sakura says as she looks down at her now heavily breathing friend, depressed that she is so useless right now. "I can only do the dumbest of things for Naruto."

"It's not what you _do_ for Naruto that's important, it's how strongly you _feel_ about her that counts," he tells the girl. "Sakura, I can tell just by looking at you, the truth is, you-"

"Sa-Sakura-chan…ou…ouch-ouch-ouch," the blond cries out as she tries to sit up, rubbing the side of her neck.

"Naruto," Sakura says as tears come to her eyes again.

"Huh? What the…what happened to me? Why are you crying, Sakura-chan?" She asks her friend, and then starts looking all over for the missing person in their team. "Aha! That foul mouth Sai hurt your feelings again, ey!" She quickly stands up clenching her fist, while steadily looking for the boy. "What was it this time? Butt-ugly? Freak of nature? That jerk!"

"Moron, coming up with 'freak of nature' on your own," Sakura says as she punches the girl in her gut, ripping a grunt out of her in the process. "Oh, that's right! Captain Yamato, what happened to Sai?"

 _'The bridge is…'_ Naruto stops her thought process as she stares where the bridge was.

"Yeah, Sai, right now, he's moving together with Orochimaru," he tells the two who look at him with wide eyes.

"What's that all about?" Sakura asks him.

"Follow me," he tells the two and brought them to the crater that Kyuubi created.

"The ground's still fresh…First the bridge is destroyed, then this crater here, what on Earth happened?" Naruto wonders as she looks around, curious at how the crater was created.

"You remember nothing?" Yamato asks the girl, _'So it's exactly as Jiraiya-sama said…'_

"Oh yeah, how come I was unconscious and all?" She asked the other two, who looked away from her.

"Orochimaru got to you and left you unconscious," Sakura lies to the girl, not wanting to tell her that the Kyuubi took control.

"So that's it! Damn him!" She shouts and balls up her fist, making it seem like she wants to punch the slithering bastard. Yamato just watches the two as he doesn't say a word to refute Sakura's lie. Sakura notices that Sai lost his book that was partially hidden underneath one of his scrolls.

"Sai's things are scattered on the ground," she says as she picks up the book.

"He dropped those things and left them there, that's all. I guess even he couldn't keep his cool standing before Orochimaru," Yamato says.

"You know what happened, right?" She asked him.

"A wood clone of mine was here until a few moments ago. We'd been communicating through a radio transmitter I hid in here," he explains as he points to his head protector.

"Did something happen to Sai?" She asks.

"Sai, after a discussion with Orochimaru, he followed them back," he tells her.

"Whaddaya mean?" Naruto asks him.

"And the discussion itself?" She asks trying to get him to spill.

"Seems it was too far for my Bunshin to listen in," he explains.

"I wonder what they talked about," Naruto wonders out loud as she rubs her chin.

"He might have been taken by force," Sakura says, hoping that she's right.

"No, didn't seem like it. He approached Orochimaru on his own and handed him something, it was almost as if he were trying to get on Orochimaru's good graces." Yamato tells them.

"Hey, hold on a second! Sure he's a jerk and all, but he wouldn't betray-" Naruto shouts out, actually defending the guy when Sakura interrupts her.

"No, he just might have," she says, making the others realize that she knows more about Sai than they thought. She thought about what Tsunade has told her about Danzou and the fact that Sai is one of his subordinates makes things even iffier. "Captain Yamato, this 'Danzou' person-"

"I know him, the hawkish leader who stood in opposition to Sandaime Hokage," he interrupts her.

"Who's he?" Naruto asks.

"Sai's superior, an old geezer who thought poorly of the Third's ideals," Sakura tells her.

"It's quite possible Danzou's relying on Sai, to set plans of his won into motion," Yamato thought as he rubs his chin. "Perhaps, Danzou entrusted Sai with a top secret mission that has nothing to do with our own."

"So you're saying Sai was, on a completely different mission from ours from the very beginning?" The blond asks.

"Just about," Sakura confirms.

"What I'm about to tell you is no more than conjecture upon conjecture, but it's not out of the realm of possibility so…brace yourselves," Yamato says after he puts his thoughts together. "Danzou could well be intending to destroy Konoha as we know it."

"What!?" Naruto squeaks out.

"Suppose that, in order to remove Tsunade-sama from the position of Hokage, he intends to conspire with Orochimaru to attack the village," he suggest to the girl.

"So that he can build his 'ideal' Konoha from the former's ashes, and once again take center stage, this time as Hokage!" Sakura says while looking at the others.

"And the reason he's making his move now, may be that Danzou, having witnessed Orochimaru fail in his previous attack on Konoha, feels the latter's now in a position where he's willing to bargain," Yamato said.

"No-no way! Then, Sai's top secret mission's…" Naruto stops as she crosses her arms under her ample bosom.

"To earn Orochimaru's trust, and serve as a liaison between him and Danzou," Sakura tells her as she puts her hands on her hips.

"Depending on the circumstances, we might have to dispose of Sai," Yamato tells them and the other two stares back at him with serious looks on their faces. "My Bunshin's following them right now, but there's no way of knowing what'll happen. We have to get on their trail at once!"

"Alright! Let's go!" Naruto shouts and stretches her shoulder so much that her bone cracks. "What the…?" She says as she falls to the ground.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouts and she picks her shoulders up, placing the girl's head in her lap. "Naruto, you alright?" She asked the girl. _'She hasn't yet fully recovered from the damage she took.'_ She looks down at the girl with worried eyes. "I know it'd be best to start pursuit at once, but in the shape she's in right now, Naruto-"

"In that case, we'll leave her behind. She should have enough strength to get back to the village on her own," Yamato says, interrupting her.

"Kakashi-sensei would never-" she shouts at him but Naruto interrupts her.

"Don't worry about me, I'm good to go!" She tells her friend as she winces.

"I was teamed with Kakashi in the ANBU, I'm well aware of how he is," Yamato tells them. "It's true I'm filling in for him, but we're different, he and I. I'll pass on saying 'I won't let you guys get hurt!' with a smile. You're no longer apprentice Ninja to be protected. You're Shinobi who'll sooner or later have to surpass Kakashi and sustain Konoha on your shoulders. Its one thing to be compassionate and another to be indulgent. If we don't follow now, we're not catching Orochimaru again, we hesitate now and it's over. With Orochimaru, there are no second chances."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto said as she looks up at the girl.

"Right," she says.

~3~

The team started running off to meet up with Yamato's clone when Sakura grabs a branch with her hurt arm and loses her grip, causing her to start falling. "Sakura-chan!" Naruto shouts as she watched her fall, thankfully, Yamato catches her just in time. He sets her down to lean against a tree. "Sakura-chan," Naruto looks at her as she kneels right besides her friend.

 _'The Kyuubi's Chakra is acting like poison, entering through her wound. Something like that can't simply be healed by Sakura's level of healing Jutsu. Which makes me even more surprised that Naruto is able to endure it,'_ Yamato thought as he observed the two of them.

"Thi-this…" Sakura stops herself, trying to think of what to tell Naruto, since she cannot bring herself to tell the girl that she was the one who attacked her. "Orochimaru attacked me-but it only hurts a little, don't worry," she tells her with a smile.

"Sakura-chan, you shouldn't put yourself in danger like that," Naruto fusses at her as Yamato is wondering why she's covering for the girl.

"Let's take a little break here, Sakura is our only medical Ninja, who is needed to successfully complete our mission," he tells the two as he stands up.

"I'm fine!" She tells him sternly, realizing that he doesn't agree with her lying to Naruto. "If we don't leave now, you even said so-"

"While it's true that I did say that, but there is also the saying 'rushing only leads to disaster'. There is a difference between hurrying and rashness," Yamato says as he interrupts her.

"Yeah! Sakura is our only Medical Ninja with super strength! So we gotta take extra care of you!" Naruto says as she narrows her eyebrows slightly at the pink haired one.

"Enough with the 'super strength' already!" Sakura growls out at the girl.

"Naruto! For the remainder of the battle, I'll be taking Sai's place as your partner. While we have time, let's decide upon our attack pattern, can you come over here for a bit?" He asks her as he motions for the girl to follow him.

"Gotcha," she says as she jogs after him.

 _'Here will do,'_ he said as he saw how far away from Sakura they were.

"Great, so what should we do first?" She asks him.

"Before that, there is something I need to discuss with you," he says as he has a smile on his face, causing her to become confused. "The one that hurt Sakura, it was you Naruto," he tells her causing her eyes to widen.

 _'Yeah, now that you mention it, it was just like that time,'_ she thought as she remembered Jiraiya being injured without her remembering any of that as well. "So, that bridge that hollowed out landscape, Sakura-chan's wound…"

"Right, you did it, Sakura didn't want to hurt you so she lied. That Kyuubi strength that you have, I have a special strength that enables me to suppress the 'Jinchuuriki' power. So that's why you shouldn't worry, however, that is only when I'm close to you. In short, I didn't really have to tell you the truth right now or anything, but the reason I did tell you is that if you did use that strength, you might have a faster chance of saving Sasuke. But relying on the strength of the Kyuubi isn't your true strength. And so, if you rely on the Kyuubi, not only will you hurt yourself, but it'll be strength that will hurt those, close to you. You should have realized that by now, the reason you didn't try to stop releasing that power is because, you got impatient, right? From now on, I'm going to suppress your Kyuubi power completely. However, if you think that will make you weaker then you are greatly mistaken. You are strong enough to not need to rely on that strength."

"Are you sure you aren't mistaken about that?" She asks him and the Kyuubi opens her eyes at that time.

 _ **"I'm sorry, kit, I didn't mean to take complete control, I was just irritated with that man saying that we were weaker than Sasuke,"**_ Kyuubi tells her and Naruto looks at Yamato.

"She's apologizing right now about taking over, saying that she was irritated with Orochimaru because of what he was saying," Naruto tells the man and his eyes widen, realizing that the girl has full communications with the fox.

"Then ask her about Sakura, why she injured her," Yamato said as he narrows his eyes.

"I don't have to," she looks at him with a face that doesn't even show a bit of regret. "It's because of when we were younger; Sakura would always try to come in between me and Sasuke. Kyuubi saw that and has hated her with a passion because of that."

"Grudges cannot be helped I guess, since she's basically acting as your mother figure and wants you to be happy, she'll fight those that try to ruin it," he says as he crosses his arms. "Your true strength isn't from Kyuubi's power, and the reason you're able to stand Kyuubi's Chakra, is because of the strength of your own Chakra. If you want to save Sasuke, do it with your own power. Not with Kyuubi's eyes, but your own. That is, if you truly want to see Sasuke, and if you really want to protect Sakura."

"Yeah," she agrees with him.

~3~

Naruto and Yamato are now disguising strategy over a scroll that holds different scenarios. "I wonder if this will be ok if this happens…" He trails off when the girl looks over to see if Sakura was okay. "Hey! Are you paying attention?"

"Hey you two check this out," Sakura said and the man looks towards her. "Hurry!" They both trot over to the girl and kneel besides her, looking into the book that she holds.

"Ah! That's Sai's," Naruto shouts out as they saw what book the girl was holding. "Just what is this picture? This is so strange."

"So Sai drew this…?" Yamato asks.

"But look, this book, the two pages in the center are different from the rest. Here," she says as she flips through the pages.

"There's something that's just creepy about that," Naruto said as they went through each page, stopping in the middle where one side was blank and the right side had a black haired figure with no face on it.

"The pictures on all the rest of the pages are finished, it's just this one," Sakura says as she looked at them.

"And what about those other pages? If we can understand their content, then we might be able to figure something out about Sai," Yamato tells the girl.

"Well, it looks almost like it's the stories of two boys, the one on the front cover and the one on the back. In other words, it works out so that the story of each of these two boys, starts with their respective cover and works its way towards the center, but the characters are silent and not a single word is written," she explains not taking her eyes off of the book.

"So what's the story like then?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah, I don't really understand it that well, if you start with the black-haired boy, for instance, then…" She starts flipping to the first page, "The same boy is always on the right page, with left side being a different person every page. See," she goes from the picture with a scythe to one fighting with a halberd.

"Hey! Wait a sec, go back one page!" Naruto tells her as she noticed something, "I thought so, see the boy on this page? On the next page his outfit is a little bit different. Not just that, but look, he's carrying the same weapon as the guy that was drawn on the last page."

"I guess it's a story about a boy vanquishing his enemies one after the other then," Yamato says.

"And look, he takes the weapons and armor of each of his enemies after he defeats them," Sakura says as she shows the next page. "And yeah, the next one also, and the next."

"So two stories about boys growing up as they fight their enemies then," Yamato stares down at the book, feeling like there was a hidden meaning to it.

"While it starts at the other end, the white-haired boy has the same kind of story," Sakura said as they all have their eyes glued to the picture book.

"Hey, don't you think that black-haired boy looks like Sai?" Naruto wonders as she looked at the drawn boy.

"Yeah, he does," Sakura said after she closes the book.

"So Sai was drawing himself then, but I wonder who this white-haired boy is then?" He asks as Sakura remembers that Sai said that the book was his brothers.

"It might be, Sai's…brother," she tells them. "And that would mean, that the center pages are, Sai…and his brother," she said as she made the cover flat, so that both covers were showing. Suddenly, Yamato's eyes widen and he stands up quickly.

"Let's get going now, it looks like my Bunshin has been able to locate the lair," he tells them.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and I sure as hell don't get any money from writing their stories, I would be inducted into the hall of crazy ass writers if I did.

 **A/N:** Wow, the replacement computer is still working, but for how long? I'm just hoping it will last longer than eight days.

 **Cassiejones07:** I'm glad that it is interesting, but the chapters only were that long because there was so much in the chapters, and I sometimes had to go through fifteen chapters in the earlier ones just to get enough for a chapter. If it I get one that is under 2500 words then I do another set of five chapters, but sometimes those tend to have more useable content in it than I figured which made them over 5k words. Cannon is the best from what I've seen on the story lines, not so much extra filler content so I'm sticking with it. I've already passed that on the anime and we're still in Naruto because of the extra content that they do at the end before the series ends. Honestly, I don't think there will be much of Sasuke, but I might actually be nice and do the fight between the brothers, just because of what Itachi has to tell him. Sasuke is about to pop up in either this chapter or the next one so we will see how our girl reacts to that. Kids, now that is something I will leave to the crazy people who throws wrenches into plans in my head. They tend to plan ahead sometimes and then sometimes it's like wow, what the hell? Where the hell did this come from? I can say I've had one story that was full of nothing but things like that, and it was my last Kyou Kara Maou story.

 **Melyway:** Got to love your reactions, keep them coming and it will motivate my demons.

 **Chapter Ten**

After they kept on, running along a rivers surface, Sakura looked over at her teammate. "Naruto," she said to get the girls attention, "this time, we will succeed with Sasuke, the two of us, together."

"I know," Naruto says as her expression grows cold.

~3~

They finally met up with Yamato's clone and looked around the huge rock that they were hiding behind to see the entrance of the hide out. "Here, huh?" He asks his clone.

"The entrance is right below that rock formation in front of us," his clone says.

"Under those rocks, Sasuke is waiting," Naruto says as she looks apprehensive.

"Yeah," Sakura said.

"Okay," Naruto said as she closes her eyes, "let's go then."

"Hold on a second," Yamato says as he holds his arm up to stop her from moving, the girl looks at him with shocked eyes as he puts his hand to the back of his clone and changes him so that he was small enough to fit in the palm of his hand. "You can go after you've swallowed this, Naruto." He said as he holds out what looks like a seed, he then reveals the other one in his other hand. "And here, one for you too, Sakura, even if we end up getting separated, with those inside you I'll be able to locate you immediately."

"What is this?" Sakura asks as she looks at the seed.

"To put things simply, those seeds are tracking devices. They're a tool of mine that responds only to my Chakra. Those are just the same as the ones that I planted in Sai's clothes and food," he said as Naruto looks down at it with a smile.

"It kind of reminds me of the Chakra buttons that I put on Jiraiya so that I can track him when he loves to disappear," when she says this Yamato nods and grins, knowing more about the girl than her master could even fathom.

"I see, so this is how you were able to track him," Sakura said as she holds the seed in between two fingers.

"When did you manage to…?" Naruto wondered since even she hasn't put a tracker on the boy.

"Don't you remember? I went back to the room while Sai was still in the hot springs; I assumed you and Sakura were still in the female section since I still heard the women asking you about what happened with Jiraiya-sama." As he explains a smirk pops up on her lips when she remembers the reaction the women had when she told them about what she did to Jiraiya when he was peeping. "Now you two should understand why I went out of my way, using my own money, to treat everyone to such a lavish stay at that hot springs resort. Everything was just like Tsunade-sama said. Taking precautions with Sai sure has paid off in the end. Anyhow, enough talk, swallow those now please." Naruto nods as she puts the seed into her mouth, swallowing it down in one go. "Okay then! Everyone, its time."

"Yeah!" Naruto says as she looks ready.

"Ready!" Sakura says.

"We'll conduct the infiltration in file, me first, then Sakura, and Naruto at the rear," Yamato says as he kept his eyes on the entrance.

"What's our method of infiltration?" Sakura asks as she fixes her glove on her hand.

"We're taking this by the book, so we'll use a Doton technique to approach from within the ground," Yamato tells her as he looks at her over his shoulder.

 _'I've found you, at last,'_ Naruto thought as she looks at the entrance with an emotionless face.

~3~

They are now under the ground at the walls of the hide out, Yamato places his hand on the wall and looks at the other two, "Just like I thought, seems their hideout is surrounded by rock."

"That's nothing; I'll just bust it open with my Rasengan!" Naruto says as she is crouching down with bare teeth.

"Hold on! If you go and use a showy Jutsu like that, they'll figure out we're here in no time!" Sakura tells her and Yamato looks closely at the rock.

"Infiltration always requires silence," he says as he doesn't even look back at her.

"Then how do we…!" She stops as she watches what he was doing; he finally finds a week spot.

"Here we go," he says as the two girls look on, wondering what he is going to do. "It's for this kind of hard rock in particular that if you apply just a little small force to a small crack," he says as he grew his finger into a root that pushes through the crack, squaring out on the other side, making it big enough for them to crawl out of as the small rocks fall almost silently to the hall floors. He removes the wood, changing his finger back to normal and they all look out the hole that he made, "See, just like I said.

"Well, at least we've succeeded with the infiltration part," Sakura said as they all entered the hallway.

"We'll look for Sai first," Yamato says as he stares down the pathway a little. He concentrates and finds the direction that his seed is resonating with him, "This way." As they reach an intersection, Yamato pulls out a mirror that will show him if there is anyone coming down the pathway. "All clear, let's move," he says as he takes a right turn at the intersection. They all start running down the hall, "Just a little further." Stopping at a door, he opens it slowly to look inside of the room. "And look who we have here." He says as Sai's face actually shows surprise when they walk into his room.

"The Hokage-controlled ANBU, impressive as always, to think that fake corpse wouldn't fool you," Sai says with a smile on his lips. Yamato shows him the key he made from his finger.

"Why don't you tell us about what's going on here?" Yamato says as he returns his finger to normal.

"You! Why did you betray us!?" Naruto shouts at the boy as she grabs a fistful of his shirt.

"You shouldn't make too much noise here, it'll mean trouble," Sai tells the girl.

"Why you!" Naruto growls out.

"Naruto!" Sakura chastises the girl with narrowed eyes, as the blond grits her teeth at Sai, then letting him go with a jerk she hisses out. "Here, we found this, it's yours I believe," Sakura says as she hands Sai his picture book, making the boy look at her.

"Thank you," Sai says as he takes the book from her hand.

"You're here under Danzou's orders, right?" Sakura states to him. "Danzou's planning something through working with Orochimaru, and you were chosen as a go-between. What is it he's up to?"

"He's plotting the destruction of Konoha with Orochimaru, part two of it right?" Yamato asks and Sai looks down, making the other three look at him with worry filling their brow.

"No, actually…" Sai starts but Naruto interrupts.

"We already all know your smiles are fake and the same goes for the lies you force through them!" Naruto said as she holds up a glowing finger, "One thing that the Kyuubi has taught me is that I can make someone tell me the truth, no matter what!" When she says this the others eyes widen.

"My mission ended in failure the moment you found me and I can't very well take care of the three of you by myself, so…since you already know so much, there isn't much reason to hide things anymore. Just as you say, we are going to destroy Konoha as it exists today," Sai tells them.

"Why you…" Naruto said as she glares at him.

"In order to destroy Konoha, I was to gain Orochimaru's favor. Thus giving us a chance for us to ally with him, which was my true mission," Sai said with another fake smile, making Sakura wonder exactly what is going on in the boys head.

"Keep talking, now tell us everything you know," Yamato says while holding a Kunai towards the boy.

"You…do you even realize what it is you're saying!? What it means…" Naruto had to stop her words before she really got angry.

"That's not everything," Sai says as his smile vanishes from his face, he tried to muster up another smile but his lips barely turned on the corners of his lips. "I was also supposed to secretly transmit information on Orochimaru to Lord Danzou. In other words, I was also assigned a mission of espionage."

"So the mission was to ally with the enemy, then use and outwit him in the end, and that enemy is Orochimaru? Such a dangerous mission," Sakura says.

"Once Konoha falls, Orochimaru is guaranteed to betray us in the end, after all. My mission was intended to allow us to always stay one step ahead of him," Sai explained.

"Danzou wants to make Konoha his own, obviously, and you, on your own, were assigned a mission to make that possible," Sakura stated and looks at him dead on.

"I was singled out due to special abilities that I have. The ink I write with becomes small, living animals and protecting themselves from harm they carry the information out to their destination," he explains.

"If Konoha becomes the stage of a battle again, countless people will die! What you're trying to do is going to have very real consequences, but do you even understand that!?" Sakura shouts at him.

"Bah, I just follow my orders," he scoffs at the girl, making Naruto furrow her brows even more.

"Sai…you're…" Sakura stops as she is now speechless.

"Just to let you know, 'Sai' is a name that was assigned to me merely for the purposes of this mission, in reality I'm nobody. I am nothing more than a tool of Lord Danzou. I don't really exist as such, no matter what you say to me, it means nothing," he says as his face turns serious yet again, making Naruto's eyes furrow even more.

"In that case, tell me why you care so much about that picture book you carry!" Sakura demands and he looks down at the book. "The two children on the covers, that's you and your brother, right?" When he didn't answer she pushed on. "You carry that because it is the only thing left that proves you really do exist, am I not right? You didn't manage to get rid of your emotions, despite what you say. Even for us Shinobi, abandoning our emotions completely is impossible."

"Please explain, why would carrying this picture book serve to prove my existence?" Sai asked her.

"The reason why you refuse to let go of that boo, is precisely because you find yourself unable to forget your existence as somebody's brother. Do you understand why?" She asked him and he looks at her while Naruto's face starts calming. "It's because your bonds with your brother are very important to you." When she says this Sai's eyes widen. "The reality is you don't want to erase the bonds between you and your brother."

"Bonds…" Sai murmured.

"Sorry to say, but we took a little peek at the contents of that book. The picture on the two pages in the center is the only part of the book left unfinished. Judging from the rest of the book, you would end up fighting your brother on those center pages. Sai, I know that you were a part of ANBU's 'ROOTS'." Yamato said, making the other two look over their shoulder at him. "And I know that Danzou has given you special training in order to relieve you of your emotions. Training identical to that of the forsaken tradition that were once practiced in the Village of Bloody Mist, Kirigakure. Sai, your brother was killed by none other than…"

"You're wrong!" Sai tells him. "I had intended to give this to my brother as a present, but just when I was about to complete it, my brother….He died of illness." Sai says with a small smile on his lips. "We weren't connected by blood, but he did compliment me on my drawings quite a bit." He looks down at the book as he talks, making Naruto observe him. " 'Roots' was filled with a great number of children that had been separated from their families due to battles, and I became close to one of those children, calling him brother. About this picture book, the picture I wanted to show my brother the most, the one in the center, I…After my brother died…I just can't seem to remember what I was planning on drawing."

~3~

They all decided to go outside of the hide out because there was less of a risk in being noticed by one of Orochimaru's men. "Unfortunately, Sai, we're going to have to leave you here with my Bunshin watching you," Yamato tells the teen as he looks down at the boy, who they have tied up, leaning against a huge rock.

"Now to get back to what we came here for, it's time to rescue Sasuke!" Naruto says as she cracks her knuckles.

"It'd be better if you gave up now," Sai tells her, remembering when he met Sasuke. "I met Sasuke, Orochimaru is always with Sasuke, if you continue to go after him, the best you'll manage is to be torn to pieces and turned into guinea pigs. Besides," he stops himself, making Naruto really look at him. "Sakura said that you care for Sasuke as a lover, but he said he doesn't even care about you anymore, which made me not even mention your kids to him. The thing is what would he do if he knew about the twins? Would he even care? And despite that, do you really intend to go up against Orochimaru of all people; just for him…you're going to put your life on the line to bring him back? But why? It's not like you've been ordered to do this…"

"Way back when, I used to hate Sasuke, but once I got used to being with him, I realized he's really a lot of fun to be around. He's…he's the person that, more than anyone else, accepted me and my existence. He didn't care that I was an Uzumaki, and that in turn made me both sexes. Sasuke is my friend and the man that I love, and he represents bonds that I waited so long to receive, so that's why…" She stops as she reveals her face to him, showing the love she has for Sasuke on it. "I don't know why you didn't reveal to him about the twins, but…even I will not reveal that part to him. That is put onto a certain someone that Sasuke will be confronting, given time. Truly, the man might deny the bonds that we have, but that has always been how he is, having the bonds and forgoing them to reach his goals."

"Bonds…" he said and his eyes widen. "Still, that's not much reason, not if it means facing someone like Orochimaru."

"If my arms get ripped off, I'll just kick him to death. If my legs get ripped off, I'll just bite him to death. If my head gets ripped off, I'll just stare him to death, and if my eyes get ripped out, I'll just curse him to death." Naruto says with a grin on her face as she looks towards the hide out. "Even if it means getting torn to pieces, I'm going to take Sasuke back from Orochimaru, no matter what!" Every one of them realizes how much Naruto wants to get Sasuke back and they stare at the girl who will not back down an inch on her decision.

"Once my clone's ready, we're going," Yamato says and all three suddenly hear something behind them, making them dodge a rain of Kunai that hits all around Sai. Sliding back away from the area, they saw Kabuto land down in front of the teen.

"Sai, judging from your situation, I suppose this means you were captured," he says to the boy and walks over staring at the emotionless face that is common for Sai's expression. "Since it doesn't seem you've betrayed us, I'll trust you, for now." Kabuto uses his Chakra covered hand to split the wood that is wrapped around Sai.

"This guy just doesn't give up…" Sakura says as she watches Sai standing up, making all of the wood fall to the ground.

"If you two are going to get in my way, then I'm not going to be holding back!" Naruto warns them, making Sai really look at the girl. She already has two clones above the two, creating a Rasengan, while one disappears the other runs down the rock wall about to use it on Kabuto when he rears back his leg kicking her clone, making it disappear.

"So pointless," Kabuto tells her.

"Fights aren't decided 'til the very end, and we're just getting started!" Naruto shouts at him.

"No, no, that's not what I'm talking about…" He says as he smiles at her. "Watching you makes me truly feel pity. People change, Sasuke is no longer the Sasuke you used to know." Kabuto's eyes widen when Sai suddenly catches him in a hold. "What the!?" He grits out, the others surprised look follows as they all look at the teen. "What are you doing!?"

"You say people change, and here I am," he tells Kabuto as he looks into his eyes.

"What!?" Kabuto grits out.

"But there are also things that don't change," he tells the gray haired man.

"Sai, what are…" Naruto stops what she's saying as she really starts seeing the real Sai.

"Bonds, I want to see what they're really made of," he says as he looks at Naruto.

"Sai…" Sakura wonders what he is doing.

"Sai! Just keep him still like that," Yamato tells him and then winds some wood around Kabuto, just like he had around Sai. He creates a wooden clone and they stand there staring at Kabuto.

"Sai, why did you…?" Naruto wonders as she looks at him.

"Why is it that you place so much value in the bonds between you and Sasuke? What exactly are those bonds you speak of? I decided I need to know the answer to these questions myself." He says as he looks at her. "According to the two of you, I've been unable to get rid of the bonds that formed between me and my brother. If those bonds are so important to me, then I might be able to figure something out if I see the 'bonds' between you and Sasuke, that's all," he tells her and she smiles gently back at him.

"The four of you don't know the real Sasuke," Kabuto says as he started to laugh really hard.

"What's so funny!?" Sakura asks him.

"Tell us where Sasuke is," Yamato demands, making Kabuto glare up at the man.

"He should be done with his training about now, back in his inner chamber. There are a large number of rooms strewn all throughout the lair. If you end up looking in each as you go, you might find him. Still, if you aren't careful, you might chance upon a snake as well. Lord Orochimaru keeps his quarters in the same area, after all." He tells them with a smirk on his lips.

"Thank you for being so honest," Yamato says.

"Oh no, you really shouldn't be thanking me," Kabuto tells him.

"You expect us, the hunters, to become the prey then?" He asks.

"Precisely," Kabuto says.

"Now, fights aren't decided 'til the very end," Yamato says, repeating what Naruto told Sai.

~3~

The team find themselves in the halls of the lair yet again, the sconces flicker, barely revealing the pathways to the group. "We'll split into two teams to search for Sasuke. Sakura and I will form one, Naruto and Sai the other. If something comes up, focus your Chakra that will be more than enough to produce a reaction in the seeds I have in your bodies. I'll be there for you at a moment's notice," Yamato tells them.

 _'Sasuke,'_ Naruto thought of the teen as she looks down the pathway. They run down the halls, opening the doors to peer inside and check to see if Sasuke is in one of the rooms. "Isn't here either," Naruto says as she looks around.

"That's it for the rooms on this floor, let's go on to the next," Sai tells her.

"Yeah!" She says as she shows her exertion with a little bit of sweat on her brow and she falls to the floor, groaning as her knee hits. She lays there panting out as her cheeks blush from embarrassment.

"Naruto, we've already split into teams to do the search. We can rest, so there is no need to hurry," Sai says as he shows a little bit of worry on his face.

"Like I care! I can't rest at a time like this! Sasuke is just a little bit," she stops what she's saying as she struggles to get up, falling back down, and her face holds shame. _'Damn, the damage from when the Kyuubi took over is still…'_ She groans and Sai stares at her before he just gives up and picks the girl up to move her to the wall of the pathway, leaning her against it.

"Oh jeez, you two are so alike," he tells her and she looks at him with a confused look on her face. "You and my brother, I mean…he was loud, impatient, unrefined, and his peni…well, it doesn't really matter," he says as he looks down at his book until he holds it up to see the cover where he had painted his brother, he holds it up so it looks like it is right besides Naruto's head. "But still…yeah, just like you, he took on anything he did with everything he had." Naruto smiles at his description of his brother and stares at the picture that he painted of himself. "Watching you somehow brings back memories of…" He stops talking as something comes to him. He quickly starts rummaging through his back, taking out his brush and he opens the book to the center page. Naruto watches his movements and it looks to her that he has realized something, when he turned to the unfinished page a smile pops up on her face.

"Is that…?" She stops herself and he doesn't remove his eyes from what he is doing.

"I remembered…I remembered what I was trying to…" Sai stops what he was saying as he finished the painting, but what shocked Naruto was the real smile that splayed across his face. "I wanted to show my brother this…this picture of our dream." Naruto's face breaks out into a huge grin as she shows the happiness she felt for him. The sound of footsteps draws their attention towards the figure that stops a good bit away from them. Their eyes widen when they saw Orochimaru standing there.

"Well then, Sai, which side do you intend to take?" The man asked as he smiled at the two, who quickly tries to stand as he shoots out snakes from his body. Naruto and Sai jump back to avoid it, sliding as they try to stop. "Looks like you choose to side with them, Sai, or whoever you are."

"I'll deal with things here, Sai, you go look for Sasuke," Naruto tells him as she stands ready for an attack. "Now!" She shouts at him over her shoulder as he just stood there.

"Ok, I'll find and rescue Sasuke then," he says and turns around to run down the pathway.

"So you've come to take Sasuke back, have you? I must admit, you do have conviction, but do you truly think things will turn out so well?" Orochimaru asks as he smiles at the girl.

"Yeah, I do!" She says as she boosts up her Chakra. "First I'll defeat you, and then I'll take Sasuke back!"

~3~

Naruto's clone disappears as she stands there panting, while looking at Orochimaru. "Oh my, what happened to all that spunk you had a moment ago?" The man asks before his expression turns a little sour since both Yamato and Sakura appears.

"So it's Orochimaru again," Yamato says as they quickly stop at both sides of Naruto while the man chuckles at them.

"Naruto, I'll let you live for the time being, just try to make sure you kill at least one more 'Akatsuki' member for me. But more importantly, I have some business to take care of with Sai, so if you'll excuse me," he disappears right in front of them, making Naruto hiss out her displeasure, while Sakura sighs in relief.

"Where's Sai?" Yamato asks the blond.

"Sai went looking for Sasuke! We need to do something before Orochimaru finds him!" She tells the others. "It'll use the rest of my Chakra, but I'll use my Tajuu Kage Bunshin to search, so the two of you can take that direction!"

"What's this…?" Sakura wonders as she picks up Sai's book and looks at the finished picture in the middle, Naruto smiles as she saw what the girl was looking at.

"Sai, he finally remembered…He wanted to show that to his brother, the picture of their dreams." She tells her.

"They're both smiling," she says as she smiles herself.

"Sai, once he finished that picture, for the first time, he smiled for real, straight from his heart." Naruto says as Yamato was in the process of going through Sai's bag, opening it his face blows up in surprise.

"This is…" He stops as he stares at the book.

"Is there a problem?" Sakura asks.

"This was in Sai's bag," he said as he held it out so that Naruto could look. "This is the book an ANBU member uses to list his assassination targets, a 'hit list' if you will."

"Hit list?" She says as she looks at him, not even surprised by this, making the man look at her with wide eyes. "Oh, you expected me to be surprised?" She asked and pulled a book out from her own bag, she hands it over to the man who flips it open showing him almost the same line up that was in Sai's book. "That's my book; the only difference in mine is that you can tell which I have taken out."

"Why are you crossing out these ones?" He asked her and she looked at the black X's across the pictures.

"Those were the ones that have been reported to being taken out by someone else," she tells him as she turns the pages that show two from the rock village that have one line as red and the other as blue. "Those ones, I and Master Jiraiya have taken out. Before you ask, yes, I have had to train to become a Jounin and you know the prerequisites for that, don't you?"

"Yeah, one of them is to show if you are strong enough, while two are to show that you can track and kill a hit in the bingo books. What I want to know is how did you take out a rogue Nin with his standing," he wonders and he kept on flipping through the pages in Sai's book until he lands on Sasuke's. "Look," he says as he shows them.

"T-that's…" Sakura stops and takes Naruto's who also has their teammate in hers. "Why would Sasuke's face be in both of them?" She asked and she looks at Naruto. "Is he one of your hits?"

"You really don't think that I would actually go after him and kill him? No, Sakura, just because he is in my book doesn't mean that I or Master Jiraiya will go after him to kill him. If you notice that he isn't a kill mark in both books." She directs to the symbol that means capture only.

"That doesn't mean that others won't try to kill him, though, Naruto." Yamato says and Sakura's eyes widen. "He might be one that would kill him, just for Danzou, that is."

"That…that's just not possible! And he really was smiling from his heart, he really has changed, he wouldn't do…" Naruto growls out at them as she defends the guy.

"But if it was all staged just to trick you, Naruto, then…!" Sakura tells her and Yamato nods.

"Such a tactic would be more than a possibility for the owner of this hit list. Just look, this Shinobi listed next to Sasuke…He's a Jounin from Kiragakure that had taken a hard-line stance in relation to Konoha…So Sai was assigned the task of disposing those who stand to harm Konoha's interests, why were you holding one that has the same line up?" Yamato wonders.

"Probably because that's the one we gotten from the Hokage, she's the one who put those two books together and you can see that here," Naruto said as she flips to the back of the book and her symbol is right there in red and white. "That still doesn't mean that he will kill Sasuke, I would think that even if he wasn't on our side he would follow orders and that hit on Sasuke is to be captured." She stared deeply into the man's eyes and he noticed how full of duty this young girl can be.

"In order to reach one's goals, now that you mention it, after I hit Sai he…" She stopped and they remember what he said, about getting out of a tight situation the best thing to do is smile.

"Danzou was after what is to become Orochimaru's new body; he intended to take Sasuke out of the picture, and to accomplish this he attempted to move Sai in near Orochimaru. He didn't betray Konoha after all; he was working for us, in his own militaristic fashion. We need to find Sai now!" Yamato says as he and the others rush off in his directions.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing fanfics about them.

 **A/N:** Sorry this one has been a little on the difficult bit for me, not writing it but keeping the file from being encrypted by my faulty system on my computer. I had to delete it just to even go back to writing it. I hope you all will love this coming up and I will probably be trying to work on this majorly throughout the night.

 **Melyway:** You are so impatient I seem to not be able to help myself and depict you as my personal cheerleader. Thanks.

 **JChan2845:** We could only hope that would happen but I will be sticking to the storyline with this one.

I love reading your reviews so everyone try reviewing as much as you can; it gives me the warm giggles reading them.

 **Chapter Eleven**

Naruto and the other two were running through the halls steadily looking for Sai, with Naruto using her clones left and right to go down the different intersections. As they keep on running down the intersection they heard a big explosion that rocked the whole base. The sconces flames were waving around at the wind that came off of the explosion.

"What was that?!" Naruto wonders as she looks down where the sound was coming from.

"Over there," Sakura says as they all look down the pathway.

"It's Sai's Chakra!" Yamato says and they all start running off down the pathway. As soon as Naruto turns the corner she saw the collapsed area of the base.

"Sai," she looks worried about him as she stares at the rubble that is covering the ground and letting a great amount of light in.

 _'Found you,'_ Sakura said as she narrows her eyes. She takes off running towards the figure in the distance as he is looking up towards something. He looks at her as she gets closer, making her grab his collar in anger, shocking him. "You! What the hell are you after?! How many times to do you plan to stab us in the back before you're ha-"

"Ah, is it Sakura?" Sasuke says from above them, making Sakura stop in what she was doing. She turns her head ever slowly.

 _'That voice,'_ her eyes widen when they land on the black haired form, she released Sai and the other two wondered what she saw. "Sasuke-kun…" She says making the blonds eyes flare wide as her heart skips a beat. Narrowing her eyes onto the crumbled area of the base, she starts running towards them and Sai looks at them in the dark. She pants as she runs further, tripping as she gets closer before she just full out runs, looking to the left where Sakura's eyes are. As she looks up into the black eyes, wondering what was going to happen next.

"Sasuke…" She mutters as her lips part, desperate to be close to him. The look of serenity fills his eyes as he looks down into her deep blue depths, loving that she has only changed mostly in her appearance but not in her attitude and determination.

"Naruto? So you came too," he says as he drinks his fill of the beautiful blond. "Does that mean Kakashi's here as well?" He asks and a man walks into view, making his eyes widen.

"Unfortunately Kakashi-san couldn't be here, but I'm here in his place. We, Team Kakashi, are going to be taking you back to Konoha," Yamato says as he looks up at the young man.

"Team Kakashi, huh?" He asks while looking at Sai, who unsheathed his sword, holding it in front of his body as for protection.

"Sai! I knew it!" Sakura shouts at the male as she bunches up her fist. Every one of their eyes flies over to look at the young male as he steadily looks up at Sasuke.

"So he's my replacement then, is he? He was spouting some kind of nonsense about protecting the bonds between Naruto and me. One more pansy for the group, quite the fit I'm sure," he says and his emotionless face gages the other black haired teen. "As long as he keeps his hands to himself, then I won't have to kill him."

"Huh?" Sakura murmurs looking at the new member of their team.

"It is true, my top-secret mission was indeed the assassination of Sasuke, but those orders don't matter anymore. Now I want to think and act for myself. Because of Naruto-chan, I feel like I might be able to remember something…remember how I used to feel. Something which I can't help but feeling was very important to me," he said as he never takes his eyes off of Sasuke. "I may not know you all that well, but there's a reason why Naruto and Sakura chase after you with so much passion, though I will not reveal those reasons since they are the ones who should, but in order to prevent their bonds with you from breaking…In order to keep them intact, they're doing everything they can. I still don't have a very good understanding of it myself, but you, Sasuke, you should know why…"

"Sure, I did know and that's why I severed them," he tells him as he continues to stare on with not one ounce of emotion shown on his face. "I have other bonds I carry," he says as the others stare up at him, speechless. "Fraternal bonds, forged through hate," he stops as he remembers the conversation that he had with his brother. "Having too many bonds causes one to lose focus weakening their strongest wish, their greatest desire," as he says this he looks at Naruto and wonders if she could tell that he was lying his ass off about severing his bonds with her. Naruto though, was in deep thought about the fight she had with him and the arguments that filled the entire fight.

"If that's true…" Naruto looked down as she remembered the whole thing, bringing Sasuke's attention to her, realizing that she might be beating herself up. "If that's true, then why," she grits her teeth until it all came bursting out. "Why didn't you kill me back then!? Is that what you call severing bonds!? Sasuke!"

"Naruto," Sakura looked at the girl with a worried expression.

"The reason is simple, and it isn't that I wasn't able to sever my bonds with you," he stops and closes his eyes, thinking of when Itachi told him that he must kill his best friend. "I simply didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans."

"What do you mean by that!?" She asks him.

"There's no need for me to tell you," he said as he looked down in the girls eyes. "Still, the one thing I can say to you, is that back then, I chose to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine," he tells her and the others look at him wondering how this person could be so cold hearted. Then Sasuke surprised them all with his speed as he quickly wrapped an arm around Naruto, licking her ear in the process, making a blush appear on her face.

 _'He's fast,'_ Yamato thought as he stares at the young man.

 _'When did he…?'_ Sakura wondered how he got there that quick.

"Come to think of it, isn't becoming Hokage a dream of yours?" He asks the girl in her ear as he continuously blew air into her ear, knowing how it made her body react. "If you had the time to go around looking for me, you would have been better off training, don't you think, Naruto?"

"S-Sasuke…!" Sakura tried to interrupt him.

"And that's why this time, you're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine," he tells her as he withdrew his sword.

"Like there's any chance someone who can't save a friend could become Hokage, don't you think? Sasuke," she asked him and he snickered. He readied his sword to stab it into Naruto.

"Sasuke!" Sakura shouts at him as Sasuke starts his blade in motion, but before his sword can stab Naruto in the back, Sai grabs his wrist holding it still.

"Your choice of defense…quite correct," Sasuke tells him. As Sai's eyes widened Naruto grabs Sasuke's arm and makes herself flip.

"Great!" Yamato says as he activates his wood Jutsu. When Sasuke activates his Sharingan, Yamato shoots his wood towards the young man, who shoots his Chidori discharge through them. Naruto flinches as she hits the ground, her pendant lands right besides her. Sai's body hits as you could see the electricity sparking off of his body.

 _'Chidori, coming out of his entire body!'_ Sakura observes as she stares at her ex-teammate. Her eyes narrow and she started rushing up to Sasuke, who stares back at her. _'Sasuke, I'm going to stop you with my own power!'_ Sasuke pulses electricity through his sword as he stares back at her with an emotionless face.

 _'Those eyes, this is guy dangerous!'_ Yamato thinks as he zips his body as quick as possible to protect Sakura, holding his Kunai at ready. Sasuke's blade goes through the Kunai like butter. He grits his teeth as Sasuke stabs his sword into his shoulder and he slams into a rock.

"Your choice of defense…quite the mistake," Sasuke tells him.

"Captain Yamato!" She shouts out as she looks at him.

"You see, this sword of Kusanagi I hold here is a little special, it's the kind that can't be blocked," he says as he stands still between the whole group.

 _'Body's going numb…Is he sending his Chidori through the blade?'_ Seeing the electricity going through it answers his question. _'So that's it, by doing so, not only does he make the blade extremely sharp, he also deprives his opponent from freedom of movement through numbness.'_ Sasuke looked at Naruto in surprise when she started getting up. She was grunting and gritting her teeth as she looked up at him, showing him that the Kyuubi is willing to fight him with her.

 _ **"This is your chance, Naruto,"**_ she laughs in her cage as she watches the man that her and Naruto thought of as a mate stares back at her. _**"Show him; make him see how our powers are not to be trifled with. Why the hesitation, what's wrong?"**_ She asked as Naruto looked at her through the bars, she decided to seep her powers out and was approaching her kit with a happy expression on her face. _**"You need my power, right? Well then, who do you want to fight?"**_

"Your face, I don't want to see it right now!" Naruto said as she shows her sad eyes to her.

 _ **"Why is it you grow so bold?"**_ Kyuubi asks as she feels a little proud for her kit for showing the boldness to her.

"Shut up, I don't need your power anymore…" She stops talking until she realizes that she needs to be more truthful to the Kyuubi. "I don't want to hurt anyone anymore, with that power I lose all common sense and attack anyone that comes across my path."

 _ **"You actually believe that? I bet this is because I attacked Sakura, isn't it?"**_ She bursts out in laughter at that sentiment. _**"That girl was trying to stop us, and demanded that we stop. She needs to know her place and stop thinking that she has any rights to Sasuke. For our kits sake, we need to be at our strongest, and that is with our combined strength. Remove this seal, once and for all! If you do, then I'll entrust you with all of my power."**_ She stopped when Naruto raised her hand.

"Stop it now, Karuma, please?" She almost touched the Kyuubi's Chakra form until a form zips in between the two and raises his own hand to touch it.

 _ **"You're…"**_ She stops and stares at the one that they both love, and ache for. Naruto stares at the man standing inside of the seal's palace. _**"Ah, so you're an Uchiha, allow me to congratulate you on making it this far…"**_ She purrs at him and Naruto decides to get closer to him.

"Why are you here!?" She asks even now, wanting to always be closer to him.

"Now I am able to see…So this was your secret power then…Hard to believe, that something like 'this' existed inside you," he says as he looks into the woman he loves eyes, the gentling look took both of them by surprise.

 _ **"Impressive that you've become able to see me, here inside Naruto, such would be the power of that accursed Sharingan, and your forsaken ancestry,"**_ she purrs as she looks at Naruto who turns to look at Sasuke, who raises his hand and places it against her cheek.

"Well, it would appear, this isn't the first time you've gazed into eyes such as these, which would make you," he turns his gaze back to Kyuubi. "Kyuubi, the nine-tailed demon fox, no doubt," he frowns when he remembers what they were talking about before he interrupted. "What did you mean earlier when you said kits?" When both of them widened their eyes he knew something was up and it involved him as well. "By your reactions, I take it that you don't want to tell me just yet, well then."

 _ **"You're eyes hold so much power and insight, though you haven't shown us the sinister Chakra that Madara has, I believe you are capable of it. Please, don't hurt my kit, she's been hurt enough, don't you think?"**_ She tells him as she looks into his red eyes.

"I know how much pain she has been in, Kyuubi, I just need her to be patient and believe in me when I say that I won't allow Orochimaru to do as he pleases. I'm just using him to get stronger so that when I go after my brother, I can finish that end and return to her," he tells the deity. "You both can explain the conversation about kits when I return to your sides."

 _ **"I'm afraid we still couldn't break our word, your brother will explain that part,"**_ when she says this Sasuke's eyes widened and then narrowed.

"So even my brother knows, and I take it he will tell me when we meet up?" He starts getting angry, and destroys Kyuubi's Chakra form before he turns to look at Naruto. "You shouldn't have trusted Itachi, Naruto. He could have killed you at any time, and I cannot have that." He walks over and grabs her face into his hands, staring deep into her eyes. "Please, don't talk to him anymore, I couldn't stand it if he were to kill you, the only one that I count as family anymore," he says as he lowers his lips to hers, kissing her deeply, enjoying something that he has only been able to dream about in all the years he has been gone.

 _ **"Unbelievable, to think, you'd even be able to suppress my power, I may not see you again, but…I…warn…you…don't…let Nar…uto…die…you…will…end…up…regretting…it,"**_ she tells him before he could release the girls lips from the kiss.

"Naruto, don't forget that I do love you, and always will," he says against her lips as he steps back from her. "I'll go against my better judgments and allow this conversation with Itachi to happen, just don't let me regret it, dobe," he says as he strokes her cheek one last time, stepping out of the palace to look at everyone. He still couldn't take his eyes off of Naruto as she struggled to get to her feet, making Yamato activate his wood abilities to push the sword from his body, shocking Sasuke, whose eyes widen as he looks back at the man. Yamato pushes the sword away from himself quickly as he forms a dome over the young man, who breaks through it just as easy, landing above them on the ground where he stood before.

"Sasuke," Naruto grunts as she stares up at him, her bottom lip trembles from their conversation inside of the Kyuubi's sealing palace, she decides to play along, since she agrees that he could now probably take out Orochimaru. "Why don't you get it! Your body's going to be stolen by Orochimaru anytime now!" She shouts up at him, making Sasuke pleased as he looks down at her.

"If that happens, then it happens," he says making Naruto shiver at how good he was making the others believe that he didn't care if the man took over his body. "You're still quite the kid, Naruto. Revenge means everything to me, as long as I can have my revenge, I could not care less what happens to me or the whole world for that matter. Let me make it clear for you, for both me and Orochimaru, right now, killing Itachi would be impossible, but if I am able to accomplish my goals, through nothing more than offering Orochimaru this body of mine," he pauses as he spun his lies to the others, making Naruto look and finally find the tell tale sign that he is lying, the finger twitch showed her and she had to fight to keep the smile from her lips. "Then he can have my life and my afterlife for that matter." When he finished saying that, Yamato stands up as the other two stare up at him, shocked at his careless reasons.

"That's enough talk, Naruto and Sakura, with you two here, I had hoped not to have to resort to any of my cruder methods, but unfortunately, this time I get serious," Yamato says as he glares up at the young man.

"Captain Yamato!" Sakura says with a worried tone.

"Konoha indeed, I'm through with you, now things end," Sasuke forms his seals and raises his hand, right before Orochimaru grabs it, making him stop.

"Now, now, there's no need to use 'that' Jutsu, Sasuke," he tells the young man, making the others stare up at him, wondering where he came from.

"Remove your hand," he tells the man with a hidden message basically telling him that he would take his arm off if he didn't.

"There you go again, forgetting exactly 'who' it is you're talking to," Kabuto says with a hand on his hip as he appears near the two.

"I have no reason to stop," Sasuke told him.

"You know quite well what 'Akatsuki' is up to," Kabuto states. "We want to have our guests here from Konoha to take care of as many of them as possible; even just one would be fine. If the other 'Akatsuki' members get in your way, your plans for revenge could hit a snag, right?"

"That's quite the pathetic excuse," Sasuke tells the older man, not believing that he would put his Naruto at risk by taking on the Akatsuki.

"But surely you'd allow it if it meant increasing the chances of your revenge succeeding by even 1%, right?" Kabuto asks, making Sasuke pissed off and worried as he looks down into Naruto's eyes.

"Let's go," Orochimaru says as he releases Sasuke's hand, the two couldn't stop staring at each other, not wanting to be away from the other. Then the three disappears the whole time Sasuke was giving Naruto a silent message that he will kill Orochimaru when it is time for him to take over his body. When they disappeared fully Naruto had to try and control her tears in her eyes so she looks down at the ground.

 _'I failed…again…'_ She says as she places her forehead against the floor of the destroyed area of the base. _'I'm…powerless,'_ she starts sobbing into the dirt, thinking of the promise she made to her twins, that she would bring their father home, and she failed.

"Crying can't bring him back to us!" Sakura tells her, making the other two stare at her, thinking how heartless she sounded, saying this. "I'm still with you…we'll get stronger, together!" She tells her as she has tears running down her cheeks as well.

"You've still got about six months," shocking the other two when he says this. "And since three's better than two, and I'm pretty strong as it is," Yamato looks at Sai when he says this, a smile on his face, making both Sakura and Naruto wipe their eyes.

"Hehe, thanks," Naruto tells Sai.

"Let's go," Yamato tells the three, staring at them with a smile still on his face. _'A new beginning, I guess,'_ he muses.

~3~

The team is now back in Konoha, holding a meeting with Lady Tsunade as they tell her all the details that happened during the mission. "I see," she says to them as she stares the entire team over. "Well?" She asks as she looks at Naruto, wanting the girls input.

"We're not giving up!" Naruto tells her as her eyes never waver from granny Tsunade's. She looks at the other team members while Naruto holds a hidden mission to the woman, letting her know that she needs to speak to her and Jiraiya.

"Heh, okay then, I've already got another mission lined up," she tells them and dismisses them, making the other leave Naruto there to get their gears ready as she stares at the girl in front of her. "So, that wasn't all that happened was it?"

"No, but the others do not need to know," Naruto says as she summons a recorder frog that will record their conversation to relay it to Jiraiya since he wasn't in the village at this point.

"Okay, then tell me," she tells the girl as she sighs, while looking off to the side, where the twins were napping on a cot, near the walls of her office.

"I found out that Sasuke can see the Kyuubi inside of me, and while he was in the palace we had a conversation, so I think he might have inkling about the twins. I think he's just waiting for me to full out tell him. Even though I told him that Itachi's wish was to tell him, himself." Naruto said as she walks over and kisses the twins heads. "I will allow Itachi to tell Sasuke, but I gave him an ultimatum, that he is to reveal to Sasuke what happened to their family, the truth."

"No…" she looks at Naruto and realizes that Jiraiya revealed just who was responsible for the Uchiha clans' destruction. "You know?"

"You think that Jiraiya would leave me in the dark? He was my father's teacher, you know?" Naruto turned to her and she showed that she knows more than Lady Tsunade thought. "I've went through the archives of all of our families, my right since my family was supposed to be the one who held the peace. The Uchiha's were revolting and holding hidden meetings, where they were making plans to take over the village. The Hyuga's had a meeting as they found out about it and decided that they would step in for the Uzumaki's since I was too young to do so myself. Unfortunately, Danzo walked in on Lord Hiashi's rehashing of what they have learned and demanded that the Uchiha clan to be destroyed. Uchiha Itachi was at that time an ANBU member so that means he was directly underneath Danzo, who decided that it, would be Itachi who would take them out, against the third's protests. Thus, the hatred that Sasuke has towards his brother should be towards Danzo the one who threatened his old team member that he would have his ANBU take out the next generation of all clans, making sure that no clan survives."

"How…do you know all of this, its sealed information," Tsunade asks and Naruto looks at her with a frown on her face.

"The Namikaze's were the ones who monitored everything that happens, anything that happened to the clans they recorded it, while the Uzumaki's were the ones who made sure that peace was kept, in turn both clans protected the clans and the people of this village, where Danzo himself wanted to destroy all of the clans," Naruto says as she takes the scroll for the new mission from her hands. "I cannot allow him to get away with this, granny, so I will allow Sasuke to be told the truth by Itachi and he will probably take out Danzo himself."

"Understood," Tsunade nods.

~3~

Standing outside Sai's window was Naruto and the two others, "Hey Sai! We got our next mission!" Making the young man smile as he places the scroll that holds the word 'friends' under the window as he jumps out to join the others.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, nor gain any money writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Sorry this one took so long, I was having issues with one of my groups, making my characters wasn't easy and took so much time. That's finished with now and I'm going to be writing more. Had tons of issues since I was sick anyway so I've been trying to build my strength back up and not have any clouded thoughts.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved them; let's hope this one doesn't take me too long to write it.

 **Chapter Twelve**

Naruto sits on one of the steps of the clans' headquarters, watching as the twins played on the playground in front of the building as she thought back on her and Sasuke's conversation inside the palace. _'Sasuke…'_

"Naruto!" A voice says making the girl turn to it.

"Ah…" She saw her teammates standing there as they turned and watched the twins as they ran around with kids their age. "What the…what is Sai doing here?"

"I happened to run into him at the library, so…" she stopped and looked at the blond.

"Jeez, and I was planning on having some alone time with my babies," Naruto complains as she put her arms behind her head.

"If you have the time to do that, then you should go study Ninjutsu or something!" Sakura chastised.

"Studying, right, how can you two even stand it at the library? It's so uncomfortable there," she complains thinking of her huge lower archived libraries that she has under the Uzumaki's compound.

"You'd do well to go once in a while, Naruto. Training involves the head as well as the body. I mean, you're just as stupid as things are," she growls at the girl who stares at her with a blank gaze.

"I have an entire extensive library that doesn't bore me like the falsities' that the libraries you go to does," Naruto tells her as she looks bored at the pink haired woman.

 _'I see, so Sakura doesn't use any name suffixes when talking to Naruto,'_ Sai observes as he knows Sakura is outmatched with Naruto's knowledge on this.

"Besides, I have a higher IQ than you, Sakura, so why do you keep treating me like I'm lower than you in the smarts compartment?" Naruto tells her as the twins start walking slowly towards their mother, tired.

"N-Naruto, Sakura…" Sai interrupted scratching the side of his face. "Would you mind if I join the conversation as well?" He asked the two women as he showed a small blush on his cheeks. "Ah! Err…I read this book…about getting to know people and stuff, and…It said that I should drop name suffixes or use nicknames and such, by doing so it creates a feeling of closeness, allowing people to become friends quickly." The two stare at him until Naruto burst out in laughter as the twins wrap their tiny arms around her legs.

"Heh, Sai, I didn't think you actually cared about that stuff," Naruto chuckles.

"So that's why you were reading those books," Sakura mused.

"Umm…but…while I thought about it for a bit, I couldn't think of any good nicknames for you two, so for now I'll just drop the suffixes and…" he stops thinking about it.

 _'I can't believe how serious Sai was in thinking about our friendships,'_ Sakura thought as she looked at Sai.

"Nicknames aren't something you just think about, they just happen, naturally!" Naruto tells him with a grin on her lips.

"If you're going to make a nickname then you can, for instance, use someone's characteristics…like here, take Naruto…she'd be 'stupid Naruto' or 'idiot Naruto'…" Sakura said as she waved her hand at the blond, making the twins glare up at her and Futarou creates hand signs summoning a huge black fox with blue fires on its legs and tails, making the girls jaw drop as the fox stood in front of her growling as it stares into her eyes evenly.

"Sakura-cha—an, that's way over doing it…" Naruto whines as she grins at the fox who is growling lowly at the girl. "Yeah, the twins can use more Jutsu's than a normal toddler, or should I say than any toddler? As I was training they were as well, when they started talking and reading early on, taught by multiple people. So yeah, I'm not 'stupid' nor 'idiot' like you so love to portray me as," Naruto says as her face turns serious.

 _'Characteristics, huh…I see…'_ Sai thought.

 _'I remember Sai when we met him first, he's so different now,'_ Sakura thought with a smile.

"Thanks, I think I got the hang of it, ugly dog," Sai says to Sakura, making her explode and Naruto was having to grab her around her waist to stop her.

"Sai! That's way overdoing it!" Naruto shouts at him.

"Huh? What do you mean?" He asks her.

~3~

"I see, so this is the new team member, Sai, was it? Nice to meet you," Kakashi says as he looks at the team before him.

"Thank you," Sai said as he and Naruto rub their cheeks.

"Sakura, come here a sec," Kakashi waves the woman over to him, making her look confused and approach him. "Both of them are hurt, did they get in a fight or something? Naruto's a bit short tempered, so it doesn't surprise me, but…" He whispers to the girl.

"Oh, no, it's nothing; really, we're all really good friends!" She waved to dismiss the notion.

"Oh, really, well, then things are ok, I suppose," Kakashi says to them as he watches the woman's nervous movements. He looks over at the two as she laughs nervously and they look at her.

 _'The great Kakashi Hatake, much was said of him when I was in 'Roots', no doubt he's looked into my past already,'_ Sai thought while observing the man.

"Naruto," Sakura says as she looks at the girl, who is holding Futarou's hand while Shino is sitting on the fox's back.

"Umm, Kakashi-Sensei, our last mission, it…" She couldn't finish and looked down.

"I've already heard everything from Yamato, he told me about Sasuke as well," he tells the girl as he reads his book.

"We don't have any time left, at this rate…in just a bit longer, he'll…and with where we're at right now, we aren't strong enough to bring Sasuke back…He's gotten way too strong," she says as she stares at the tiles on the floor.

"Well, in that case, you only need to become stronger than him, right?" Kakashi asked, making her eyes widen as she shoots them up to him.

"Even as I looked at him, it was clear that the speed at which he's gotten stronger isn't normal at all. After consulting Lady Tsunade, she told me it's possible he's been using forbidden Jutsu or has been given drugs during his training. With someone like Kabuto working with him, well…and while I probably can't hope to learn anything from books like these about how people who experiment on humans think, well…" Sakura said as she looked at the book she holds in her hands.

"In that case, you'll just need to get even stronger than him, at a faster rate," Kakashi suggests.

"Yeah, but how?" Sakura wonders.

"You don't think I've just been sleeping here without thinking, do you? I was thinking the whole time, and…something came to me. Still, this particular method is best for someone like Naruto, or rather, I should say, that it's really something that only she is capable of doing," Kakashi said as she looks at the young woman. "With this training, Naruto, you might even surpass me, in a way of speaking," he tells her and her eyes widen.

"Surpass you, Kakashi-sensei?" She asks.

"Right," he tells her as he stares at her. "During this training, I'll be with you the whole time. Also, it's going to be quite different from any training you've had so far," he tells her seriously.

"Wh-what'll we be doing?" she asks him.

"You'll develop an ultimate Ninjutsu to call your own," he says as he stares at the shocked young woman. "In other words, were going to have you acquire a new Ninjutsu greater than even Rasengan. However, in order to acquire such power, one must spend an equally massive amount of time and effort to do so. It's not like you're going to get stronger overnight, like the main character of some novel and this is completely different from learning something like Rasengan. A Jutsu previously thought of and one that is acquired through close instruction."

"A massive amount of time, we just told you, we don't have any more time left! Sasuke's going to…" Kakashi interrupts the girl, staring at her seriously.

"Yeah, but I thought of a way to do it all in a short period of time," Kakashi tells her.

"H-how's that?" She wonders.

"Well, you see…" Kakashi was interrupted when Asuma's team opened the door.

"Asuma-sensei, you're supposed to knock first, you know!?" Ino crabbed at him.

"Hello," Chouji said with a mouth full.

"How's the body doing, Kakashi?" Asuma asked with a smirk on his lips as they all entered the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hey, if it isn't Naruto and Sakura! Did the mission already," he stopped when he noticed that Sai was in the room, remembering him from when Sai attacked him, Naruto and Chouji. "You're that…" He stopped as Chouji grunts out in surprise, making Ino's eyes widen as she looked at him.

"Nice to see you," Sai says with a smile on his face. Sai explained to them all what the fight was about and they all sit around listening.

"Oh, was that all it was?" Chouji asked as he munched on his chips, smiling.

"My name is Sai, please, don't worry about using any name suffixes with me," he tells them.

"Wow, you know, he does look pretty good, and he has a face similar to Sasuke-kun's," Ino whispers to Sakura.

"Yeah, but that's how he looks. He acts completely different, and he's socially clueless," Sakura whispers back as Shika walks over to Naruto.

"I heard about Sasuke from Tsunade-sama, I'll help you out next time, if something comes up. Those pain in the ass Chuunin exams are finally over with, after all," he tells her.

"Yeah," Naruto says with a smile on her face, making Shika really look at her.

"You guys can go ahead to "Yakiniku Q" and if everyone from team Kakashi wants, you can come along too!" Asuma says looking at their students.

"Yeaaah! Yakiniku!" Chouji cheers.

"I'm in!" Ino says as she smiles and dances a little. _'I think I'll sit next to Sai!'_

"I need to talk with Kakashi alone and I'll take care of the bill for the Yakiniku," Asuma says as he bows his head making Kakashi look at him.

"Hey, wait a sec! So aren't you gonna tell me about the training, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asks, looking a little worried.

"Oh, yeah, hmm…well! We'll just do it later," Kakashi tells her.

"What!? But I want to know now!" Naruto demands as her twins were waiting for her to go to the restaurant.

~3~

At the restaurant they were all enjoying some meat and Naruto was making sure the twins only got small pieces so they didn't fill their mouths too full and choke. "Hey! Where's Shikamaru?" Sakura asks.

"He said he had to get back to help his dad go get some horns that they use for medicine," Chouji said while he was drooling as the meet cooked.

"Hmmmm, he's always really good at showing up for meetings about our missions, this's pretty strange for him," Ino says as she had a shocked look on her face.

"Alright! I got dibs on his food!" Chouji says.

"Chouji! Before you eat we need to introduce ourselves to Sai-kun!" Ino scolds him.

"Ah, guess you're right," Chouji says as he looked forlorn even with the drool trailing down his chin.

"Please, go ahead," Sai says as he smiles at them. _'First impressions are important for getting to know people quicker. Better think of some nicknames now,'_ he thought as he observed the people who were new to him.

"Umm, I'm Akimichi Chouji of the Akimichi clan, nice to meet you, err, Sai, was it?" Chouji asked as he nods to the man, still having drool going down his chin.

"Nice to meet you too, umm," Sai says as he pauses and thought hard. _'Characteristics…characteristics…'_ He thought.

 _'Oh no,'_ Sakura thought as she looked at him.

 _'Not the 'forbidden' word!'_ Naruto thought as she put some napkins besides the twins so they could use them while eating.

"Fa…" Sai started as Chouji's eyes widen and Naruto quickly covers Sai's mouth.

"Sai! Don't ever, ever say 'Fatso' in front of Chouji! Got it?" She whispers to him as she got closer to his face.

"Did you start to say something just now?" Chouji asked.

"Ahaha, no, it's nothing," Sakura lied as she waved her hand in dismissal.

 _'Nick names sure are hard,'_ Sai thought as he watched the others.

"I'm Yamanaka Ino, daughter of the Yamanaka Flower Shop! Nice to meet you!" She introduces herself as she smiles and blushes.

 _'With women, if you tell them exactly how they look they get mad at you, so if I say the reverse then everything will be all right,'_ he thought as he looked at Ino, while Sakura held a smirk on her face. "Nice to meet you, umm, Ms. Beautiful," as he says this her eyes widen and her blush deepens, making the other two in his team shocked.

"Why the hell is it 'beautiful' with Ino! Shannaro!" Sakura shouts as she punches him.

"Uguh!" Sai grunts.

~3~

"Ok, time to train," Kakashi tells Naruto, who stands there chuckling while the twins are off to the side, coloring. "What is it now?"

"No, no, it's nothing, it's just that when I think about being able to train with you again, don't know why, but I just get all excited and happy," she tells him as she blushes, making Kakashi smile.

"Well, laugh it up while you have the chance," he laughs at the girl. "Time isn't waiting up for us, after all. Just like I said back at the hospital, we're going to be training to have you develop an ultimate Ninjutsu to call your own, a Jutsu superior to even Rasengan. To do that, you'll need to have command of two Chakra control techniques, 'physical and spatial recomposition'."

"Physical and spatial…recomposition?" Naruto questions.

"Exactly, take Chidori, you 'physically' recompose your Chakra to resemble electricity, then you 'specially' recompose it to discharge, thus determining the strength and scope of the attack. In that sense you could say that, unlike Chidori, Rasengan is a Jutsu relying only on extremely advanced 'spatial recomposition'. Since the Jutsu compresses Chakra by spinning it at violently high speeds, it doesn't have any need for 'physical recomposition'."

" 'Physical Recombination, I see, I see," Naruto said as she pictured it all in her head.

" 'Physical Recomposition will be an absolute necessity for you to acquire a Jutsu surpassing Rasengan," he tells her.

"Makes sense to me! Alright, time for 'Physical Recombination'!" Naruto says as she hits her fist in the palm of her hands.

 _'For once, I'm surprised to see that she is actually getting this, I guess those years away with Jiraiya-sama learning multiple Ninjutsu's and Genjutsu's have made her rethink things through.'_ He watches her as the wheels move around in her head, and remembers what Sakura told him about her twins summoning some foxes. "But acquiring that technique takes an enormous amount of time; I was just about to explain how we're going to greatly reduce that time penalty back at the hospital."

"I see, and so, how're we going to reduce it then?" She asked with a grin.

"Well, there's not much reason to beat around the bush, the method is…to use your Tajyuu Kage Bunshin," he tells her and she looks confused.

"Huh?" Her brows furrow.

"It's actually your Tajyuu Kage Bunshin," Kakashi tells her.

"Huh? What about it?" She asks.

"That's the method to shorten your training," he tells her and she closes her eyes not really getting what he means.

"Tajyuu Kage Bunshin? What do you mean?" she asks as she looks at him with only one eye opened.

"Well, I knew this'd happen. Alright, I'll explain it to you from now on, listen up," Kakashi said as he closed his eye.

"Please, explain away, sensei," she salutes him.

"Yeah, yeah," Kakashi said as he noticed she was being a smartass. "You already know that instead of making just another copy of yourself, you actually make actual bodies. In other words, it's a Jutsu that creates an actual human copy of yourself. I know I can't use the Kage Bunshin as well as you can but, I know the effect it has on the user. You've used it constantly, so you've probably noticed.

"And what's that?" She asked.

"When the Jutsu is undone and the Kage Bunshin copies return to the original, the things they experienced add up to become the original's experience as well," he tells her.

"Really?" She asked and thought of all the times she used her Kage Bunshin's.

"So you haven't noticed, huh?" He asked her.

"No, not really, I've been using them for years and have yet noticed that part," she says as she sounds disappointed in herself.

"Hmm, let's both make a Kage Bunshin," he tells her and they both create one. "Ok! Then let's split up into the original pair and the Kage Bunshin pair. The Kage Bunshin are going to go hide in the woods, make yours follow mine, Naruto," he said as he points to the woods and both of them watch as their clones walk off. "Okay, the two of us are in the woods, so the originals can't see us. We're just going to play rock-paper-scissors."

"Why?" She asks.

"Come on," he tells her. "Jan Ken Pon!" Kakashi used rock while Naruto used paper.

"What are those clones doing?" Naruto wonders.

"You'll find out soon," Kakashi tells her.

"Yeeaah! I won!" Naruto's clone shouts.

"Okay, let's release the Jutsu," Kakashi's clone says.

"Ossu," she agrees and they both release, making Naruto's eyes widen.

"So? You know what they were doing now, right?" He asks her.

"I won at our rock-paper-scissors game," Naruto says as she grins.

"You understand now, right? Anything a Kage Bunshin learns or experiences will go back to the original body," he tells her.

"I get it, I guess I just never noticed what happens until now," she says as she looks sheepishly.

"Well, this Jutsu was originally meant to be used for scouting dangerous places and spying in enemy territory to gather information, so…" Kakashi stops and looks at her.

"And so what? What does it have to do with shortening the time it takes to learn that Jutsu?" She asked.

"Ok, ok, I'll explain that too," he says sounding aggravated. _'Jiraiya-sama, I can't believe you were able to train this girl into learning the Rasengan, geez.'_

"Hurry up! Come on!" She says sounding impatient.

"So, if you use the Kage Bunshin and do the same training with two of you then you gain two-times the amount of experience," he tells her holding up two fingers.

"Okay, okay!" She says as she looks on with so much interest on her face.

"In other words, if you have two clones do the same training, the required training time can be cut into half. If there are three, it'll be 1/3 the time, and with 1000, it'll be 1/1000," he tells her.

"I see," she says as she listens intently.

"So if training takes you two days, with the clone it would take you one. Even something that would take you twenty years with a thousand clones would take a week," he smiles as her jaw drops.

"O-oh! That's a great plan!" She shouts, making Kakashi smile.

"From now on, we'll train on how to manipulate the nature of your Chakra. You will always be using your Tajyuu Kage Bunshin," he stares at her and she salutes him.

"Ossu!" She agrees, "Kakashi-sensei, now I know why you're so strong! You've always been training like this huh?!"

"Nope, I've never trained like this," he tells her.

"Huh? Why not? You can do the Kage Bunshin too!" She shouts with an almost whine to her tone.

"Indeed, I don't have as much Chakra as you do, so I can't hold the Jutsu for too long. Since it divides the Chakra evenly amongst the clones it's not suitable for guys like me with little Chakra," he tells her.

"Really? So I have more chakra than you, Kakashi-sensei?" She asks actually sounding shocked since she knows that Jiraiya has a large amount of Chakra.

"You have at least twice as much!" He looks at her wondering why she hasn't really noticed that most people wouldn't have the same amount as her and her clans mass abundant Chakra.

"That much! I'm awesome!" She grins at him.

"And if Yamato doesn't suppress the 'Kyuubi's" Chakra, it could be a hundred fold," he tells her seriously.

"That's why you're the only one who can do this kind of training, Naruto-kun," Yamato says as he lets his presence become known.

"Yamato Taichou!" She says as she sounds excited to have him there.

"Kakashi-san asked me to help you out with your training. You may need me to control the Kyuubi's Chakra, after all," he tells her, making her smile at him.

"I'm counting on you!" She says sounding determined.

"Alright, next, I'll explain how to manipulate the nature of your Chakra," Kakashi tells her.

"Ossu!" She agrees.

"There are primarily only 5 different types of natures that may alter the Chakra," he says holding up all of his fingers on his right hand.

"Five types, that's it?" She asks.

"Fire, wind, water, lightning, and Earth. These basic types give us the name of the five great countries and they form the basis for all Ninjutsu," he tells her and she soaks it all in.

"Wow, really?" She looks at the two of them.

"Generally, everyone has Chakra that fits one of those categories. For example, the Uchiha clan had 'fire' natured Chakra, thus they were skilled at Katon no Jutsu," Yamato tells her, smiling at the inquisitive look in her eyes.

"If it's 'wind', they use Fuuton, if it's 'lightning', they use Raiton. For example, 'Chidori' is one type of Raiton Jutsu," Kakashi explains.

"So, it means that Sasuke has both 'fire' and lightning'," she says as her expression gets serious.

"And that you've none, but we still don't know what natured Chakra you are skilled with," Kakashi says as he pulls out Chakra slips from his pouch, holding them up to show her. "We'll check with these scraps of paper," he says as he takes one from the five.

"How?" She wondered out loud and Kakashi pushed his Chakra into the slip making it crinkle in his fingers.

"If you're 'lightning' natured, the paper crumples, for 'wind' natured, it gets sliced, for 'fire', it burns, for 'water', it gets wet, for 'Earth', its crumbles away. It's a kind of paper that easily reacts to Chakra, it's made from trees that are fed and raised with Chakra. If you channel some of your Chakra into it, we'll soon know what nature it is," he tells her as he holds out the remaining four slips, she takes one.

"Okay," she says as she slips her Chakra into the paper and the first reaction slices it making the men smile at her.

"Let's begin, your 'wind' nature manipulation training," Kakashi tells her as he looks at her.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor gain money from making my stories with the characters from this manga.

 **A/N:** Sorry it's taking so long, another file not letting me access it since Microsoft doesn't allow me to delete the newest model of it and use 2007, so when I take even a small break from writing it, it may have a small chance of being claimed as a new Microsoft file. Blame this computer.

 **Chapter Thirteen**

"The nature of your Chakra is 'wind'," Kakashi tells her, making her eyes widen.

"Wind," she muses.

"With the ability to cut and sever anything, this type of Chakra is very good for battles," he explains.

"Wow…wow! I'm great!" Naruto exclaims.

"No, you're nowhere near great yet. We only found out the nature of your Chakra," he tells her as he cocks his eyebrow.

"Yes, you must first undergo this training and gain the ability to make full use of your Chakra nature," Yamato tells her with a smirk.

"Huh?" She looks at the two men.

"What?" They both ask at the same time.

"Hey! Hey! Then what sort of 'quality control' is used in Yamato-Taichou's 'mokuton'?" She asks as she wonders out loud. This made Kakashi's eyes widen as he turns to Yamato and whispers into the man's ear, making him smile and create signs. He makes a huge cliff that zips right over the two that stayed still on the ground. "Wow! What!?" Yamato then makes a waterfall on top of the cliff. "A-a waterfall!"

"I have the ability to manipulate both 'Earth' and 'water', Naruto," Yamato says as he jumps off of the waterfall.

"What!? Yamato-Taichou has two too!?" Naruto squeaks out as she shields her eyes to watch the man.

"Those in the Jounin class usually have at least two, I can also control elements other than 'thunder'," Kakashi explains.

"Then, Yamato-Taichou has 3 including the 'Mokuton'?" She asks.

"Well, that isn't it, you see," Kakashi starts explaining as her face shows confusion.

"I can only use 'Earth' and 'water', there's no such thing as 'wood' element to begin with," Yamato tells her.

"Then how?" She asks.

"He uses it together, by controlling the nature of 'Earth' and 'water' at the same time, he creates a new 'wood' element which he can then manipulate," Kakashi tells her.

"'Earth' in the right hand, 'water' in the left," Yamato slams both palms together, creating trees out from the front of the cliff on both sides of the waterfall.

"Wow," she says as she watches and the twins start giggling as they run over to the water, running their hands into it.

"When you have two elements that you can control, it's not very difficult to use them separately, but it's a totally different story when it comes to using both together," Yamato explains.

"The ability to control two elements simultaneously and create a new element to manipulate, that's what's called a 'Kekkei-Genkai'. You've at least heard this term, right?" Kakashi asked her.

"Yeah," she looks down and then looks at the two men. "It's the ability that both my mother and father have from their main families. Although, the main and the branch can use it the main family can use it to a huge degree more than the branch. My father's clan uses the time Jutsu while my mother's clan was the origin of the sealing Jutsu. I never knew that they could use two elements, but my question is, can I?"

"Yes, you can," Yamato tells her, "fortunately, you have the same elements as both your mother and your father since time Jutsu and sealing Jutsu composes of the same elements. Wind and Earth."

"The Sharingan cannot replicate your family Jutsu and it was always hard for someone else to even be able to learn them without being part of the clans," Kakashi explains and turns to look at the twins. "There has been a wonderful meshing of two clans that makes you and a few others, but these two are much oddity since there hasn't ever really been a meshing of three clans before."

"Yeah, they have my huge massive Chakra and he's got the fire element straight off the bat, but her, it's Earth," Naruto said as she watches the girl, moving her finger making the dust move around without even touching it, smiling as her twin grins, watching her make pictures.

"Do you think that they will be able to train with you while we perfect this?" Yamato asks Kakashi.

"No, but I have someone who will be able to do it perfectly," Kakashi said as he summons Pakkun to go and fetch someone.

"Please, not Ebisu," Naruto begs and Kakashi grins.

"No, not Ebisu, but this one is someone that we've known for years and is part of the Hyuga clan," Kakashi said and Naruto's eyes widen.

"Neji?" She wonders and Kakashi shakes his head.

"No, that would be me," Hiashi Hyuga says as he appears quickly since his clan grounds were not far from where we were training. He stares over and his eyes widened since he didn't even realize that his daughter was right, their little Naruto is now a full grown woman with twins. He smiles softly at them and smirks even more when he realized that the little boy was an almost exact replica of his father. "I never thought that I would see the son of Sasuke's with a look of awe like Naruto's so much," he says as he smiles gently at Naruto.

"Yeah, just because he is a mini Sasuke doesn't mean he will be just like Sasuke," Naruto grins as she watches the twins take notice of the man who looks exactly like Hinata kind of, so they slowly walked over and hid behind their mother. "You two, this is the Lord of the Hyuga family, Hyuga Hiashi." The twins bowed properly and said hello in unison. "Wonderful bow, my sweets," she smiles.

"So you've not only taught them proper etiquette but they have also been training for a while from their movements," he observes as he watches them, circling around the two.

"I started them from the time they were walking, like I was," she tells him as watches the two as well as the other two men who looked gob smacked at her declaration.

"So, do you want all of the training to be completed? To what stage?" He asked her since he was one of the few would could teach her children on all families training, she nods and he directs the kids off to the side to start while she goes and stands in front of the other two men.

"I guess I should start explaining the training," Kakashi said as he stares at the girl.

"We should begin the training," Yamato says.

"You're right," Kakashi said as he looked at him. "Well then! Let's start! First, we're going to train so that you improve in the "Quality Control" of Chakra."

"How?" Naruto asks with a huge grin on her face.

"In this training, you're going to place a Leaf between your palms and try to cut it with only your Chakra, until you manage to cut it in half," Kakashi said as he holds up the leaf in his hand.

"Right! I'm on!" She shouts as she stands at ready.

"Like I said just now, you're going to do this training using the Kagebunshin Jutsu at all times," he tells her.

"How many Bunshin's should I make?" She asks.

"Hmm, well, since its one leaf for each person, about this many?" He motions to the tree behind him, making her smile and create a huge amount of clones.

~3~

An hour later, Naruto is standing there, trying to cut all of the leaves with her clones, until one of them succeeded. Her eyes widened as she stares down at the small cut on the leaf. _'She's made a small cut already, that's earlier than I expected,'_ Kakashi stares at her over his book. "How is it? Are you having any problems controlling the 'Kyuubi's' Chakra, Tenzou?" Kakashi asks the man as he looks over at Yamato.

"Everything's fine so far, but for now, please call me Yamato, not Tenzou," he tells the older man.

"Ok, ok," he says as he smiles under his mask and looks at the girl and her thousands of clones.

"Yes! It's a pretty deep cut!" One clone says while she's panting out.

"Shit! Damn it! I'm nowhere near that yet," another complains with a frown.

"Hehe! I've got talent unlike you guys!" The clone taunts.

"What do you mean? You're me," the other said back.

"Yes!" Other shouts out as she laughs and holds up a leaf that holds up a leaf that holds a bigger cut.

"Shit, the 'me' over there's quite good," a clone complains as it holds an eye closed.

"Hey, hey! There's something I want to ask you, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto said as she approached the man, her tired face looks at him as she pours down sweat. "Isn't there anybody else in Konoha with the 'Wind' element?"

"You want to get some tips?" Kakashi asked as she grunts and nods. "Well, there is someone but…he should be playing Shougi around this time."

~3~

"Checkmate," Shika says as he points at the piece he just moved.

"Haa-! I've lost again!" Asuma says as he puts his face into his hand.

"When we celebrate the end of our next job, the bill's on you, Sensei," Shika says with a smirk.

"Okay," he says as he looks exhausted.

"Asuma-senseiii!" Naruto shouts as she walks with the twins up to Shika and the older male. The twins grin and rush to the black haired teen that opens his arms and hugs them. "Hey there!"

"Oh, hey, Naruto," Shika says as the twins grin up at him.

"What brings you here?" Asuma asks.

"Well, there's something I want to ask you," she tells him, she explains everything to him while Shikamaru's mother is doting on the twins, feeding them more cookies.

"Tips on how to manipulate the 'wind' element, huh?" He muses.

"Yup!" She chirps out.

"So they're finally allowing you to learn how to 'control the nature' of Chakra?" Shika asks.

"Yup!" She tells him over her shoulder.

"We both know that it is long past time for you to learn this," the teen tells her with a smirk.

"That's why I came to ask Asuma-sensei for tips," she says and turns her gaze to look at the older man.

"To hear that Naruto's Chakra is of the 'wind' element, that's a surprise," the man chuckles as he stares at the young woman.

"Now, can you give me some tips?" She asks as she stares at him, making him think deeply on what he could tell her.

"Hmm, let's see, my team celebrates the end of our missions by eating Yakiniku. I'll consider doing this for you if you'll cover the bill for our next party, how's that?" He asks and Shika's eyes widen.

"Hey! You're cheating!" He shouts at the man.

"Hmm," she says as she crosses her arms. "It can't be helped. I'll do it for my training!"

"Great! We've got a deal," Asuma says with a grin and rummages inside of his pouch, pulling out his Chakra blades, making the girls eyes widen. "This is my Chakra-knife. This knife is made of a special metal that absorbs the Chakra nature of the holder," he says as he holds the blades up running his Chakra through them, showing Naruto, "Try holding it." He flips the blade around, grabbing the blade as he holds the handle out to her, making her grab it safely. "Now, flow your Chakra into the knife, like what I just did."

"Ossu," she says as she pushes her Chakra into the blade, making it flow out a little bit as she is trying to hold back a little. "It's…sort of different from the way your Chakra looked, Asuma-sensei." She says as her expression shows her strain, since she is trying to hold back.

"Listen up, when manipulating the 'wind'-type Chakra, you've got to imagine splitting your Chakra into two and grinding them together. Do it so that the two Chakra fields sharpen one another into fine pieces," he tells her with a smile on his face, not showing his shock since he's gotten so used to these two shocking him.

"Sharpen them into fine pieces, huh?" She stares at the man, and then looks down at the blade, thinking the whole process over in her head.

"Exactly, the thinner and sharper, the better," he instructs.

"Ummm, hey, I just got this idea but…" she stops as she frowns.

"What is it?" He asks.

"There're Ninja weapons that can make cuts already, so is there any point in learning how to control this 'wind' element?" She asks as she now holds up a blade that has a perfect output of 'wind' Chakra pouring out of it. "Instead of training like this, isn't it much faster to just use a weapon that can cut? And for example, this…what's the point of putting a Chakra that can cut into a weapon that can cut already?"

"Ok, then we'll throw these Chakra-knives at that tree together," he said as he stared at the tree.

"Why?" Naruto wonders and they stood at the ready before they threw the blade towards the tree. Naruto's embedded halfway into the tree whereas Asuma's went straight through it and stays inside of the rock that it cracked. "W-wow," she says as her eyes widened. _'It didn't just cut through the tree, the knife pierced the rock behind it too, and that much.'_

"It can get dangerous so I limited my Chakra use, but if I tried, that knife'll cut through that rock as well," he tells her as he smiles.

"What?" Naruto mutters as her eyes widen.

"If two Ninja of the same level fought with sharpened weapons, the one with a shaper tool will win. The 'wind' element has the strongest offensive power for close and middle-ranged fights. It's quite rare, you know, this 'wind' type." He pats her shoulder, "If you come across anything else you want to know, feel free to ask me anytime, but you'll have to pay for the Yakiniku again."

"Ossu! Thanks a lot!" She shouts out to him and goes and grabs the twins, teleporting back to the training area.

~3~

When the clone arrives back, she disappears; giving the knowledge to everyone of the others and the real Naruto comes over to grab the twins, and brings them over to the area she laid out for them to take a nap. "Ooohh, so that's how it works!"

"Yeah, let's do it!" One clone says to the one who shouted.

 _'I guess she got her advice from Asuma. Naruto's beginning to make good use of the Kagebunshin already!'_ Kakashi thought as he stared at the girl and her many clones over the book he is reading. "Alright! This'll be a good time for you to reassimilate your Kagebunshin's experiences, just let them disappear while you reflect on the training." Kakashi watches as the girl agrees and lets the shadow clones disappear, making her sigh in relief as she took everything in. The word on Yamato's hand disappears and he sighs, while Naruto looks down at the leaf, drawing Kakashi's attention to her.

"I can do it, just a little further," she says and then faints from exhaustion.

~3~

Naruto is standing there, staring down at the leaf split in half in her palm, panting as she stared down it in shock. "Yeaaaah!" She shouts and joined her clones in tossing the leaf into the air, cheering. "I did it! Guess you'd have to say I'm pretty awesome after all, huh!? At this rate I'll have a new Jutsu mastered in no time, huh!?"

"Actually, it's the training method that let you be so quick. This is all thanks to my ingenious idea, you see," Kakashi says as he stares at the girl. Naruto grins as she releases her shadow clones.

"Yeah, whatever, let's just get on to…" Naruto stops as she faints again.

"Well, of course, it's because you are who you are that you can do all this," Kakashi says as he catches the girl on his back. "Yamato, this would be a good time for a rest."

~3~

Naruto's eyes started fluttering as she started to wake up; the twins were lying on each side of her. Once he noticed that she was waking up Kakashi closed his book, "Looks like you're awake."

"Again…don't tell me I…" She stopped as she stared at him with wide eyes as the twins started to wake themselves.

"Well, this training method will tend to wear you out. We'll move on with the training after resting a bit more," he tells her and holds up one of the leaves that she cut in half. "Time for the next step," he says and she smiles.

"What're we doing next?" Naruto asks as she stares at him, while the twins were laying their heads on her lap, causing her to naturally start running her hands through their hair. Kakashi points to the waterfall.

"This time, we're going to cut a waterfall," he tells her.

"A waterfall!?" She squeaks out as she stares up at it.

"You're going to put your hands up against the waterfall and cut it with all the 'wind' Chakra you can manage, in order to do that you'll need to instantaneously produce massive amounts of 'elemental recomposition'," Yamato says smirking at the girl.

"And if you can clear this stage, then if nothing else, it means you can use it in real combat," Kakashi says as he stares at the girl who wouldn't take her eyes off of the waterfall.

"So if I complete this, it means I've acquired my first 'elemental recomposition'," she states as her lips smile even wider, making Kakashi smile back at her, speechless.

 _'Can't say I was expecting Naruto to be able to produce any 'elemental recomposition' this quickly, even in the slightest, looks like this training method was the perfect choice,'_ he says as he stares at the young woman.

"Enough resting already! Time to get started with the training again!" She shouts as she stands up and creates a bunch of clones.

~3~

Naruto already shed her jacket and mesh shirt to wear her bright blue bikini top. Her clones lined up all along the waterfall as the others were down below, the twins eating a lunch while the other two were standing watch. She keeps on grunting out as she lets the element flows out through her hands, trying to cut the waterfall. "Dammit…! Nothing but a little splash…" She frowns at the water until an idea pops into her head. "Kakashi-sensei!" When she shouts at him he looks away from his book to stare up at her. "Don't you think I should be doing this with a few more Kage Bunshins?"

"If you don't 'elementally recompose' a massive amount of Chakra into 'wind', the waterfall won't break, and the more of you there are, the less Chakra each of you will have. Besides, with a waterfall that size, ten of you is the most we can fit up there," he tells her.

"In that case, give me some pointers about how to do things better!" She tells him.

"You're not letting your 'wind' Chakra stay in your body long enough after making it, take your time and do things a bit more carefully," he tells her.

"If I'm messing around and being 'careful', there's no way I'll be able to do this in a real battle!" She shouts at him.

"This is training, there's no need to think about battle for now. Once you get used to it, you'll get faster," he tells her calmly, noticing that she's starting to become impatient. "Remember, the training for 'elemental recomposition' usually takes any number of years, even cutting just a leaf should be taking 6 months away. Once you consider that you cleared that part in just a few hours, there really isn't any reason to rush. You're progressing any number of times faster than I was expecting. Even for someone as talented as Sasuke. When learning 'Chidori', it took him quite a large number of days to learn to 'elementally recompose' his Chakra into 'lightning'."

"And it's that very Sasuke that I need to catch up to!" She practically growls out at him.

"Oh jeez," he says and crouches down to whisper into Yamato's ear.

"Very well," he almost whines out as he knew he would be exhausted from this. He put his hands into signs, which made the wooden bridge that the young woman was on wobble, making her shriek out a little. He then made the waterfall larger as he extended the bridge to encompass the waterfall again. As soon as he was done he falls to the ground, panting out.

"Guess that was pretty hard on you, huh?" Kakashi asks as he rubs the back of his head.

"No…not at…all…I'm completely…fine…" He pants and coughs out.

 _'Yeah, it was hard on him,'_ Kakashi thought. "You're happy now, right?" He asks up at the girl who is giggling now, and she creates more clones.

~3~

Naruto stared up at the starry sky and smiled as the twins were snuggling against her sides. "A shooting star…" She closes her eyes and makes a wish for Sasuke to come home. As she laid there she suddenly came to a conclusion and her eyes quickly opened. She sat up slowly, so she wouldn't wake the twins and quickly summoned a huge black fox to take her place in between the twins. As she was getting up, Kakashi watches the girl through his eye. She quickly created some clones and continued with her training.

~3~

It's now daylight and Naruto and her clones are leaned over with their hands on their knees, panting out rapidly. "Let's do this!" She shouts out and all of the clones started to concentrate on the Chakra, trying to cut the waterfall. Suddenly, the waterfall is cut making her grin. "Alright!" Making Yamato's eyes widen.

"I have to admit, this training method is quite impressive. To think that Naruto would progress this fast," he says as he smirks.

"No, the training method isn't the only reason for all this," Kakashi says as he stares over at his pupil, Yamato looking at him with confused filled eyes. "Sasuke is what makes her so determined."

"I did it! I really ripped it!" Naruto shouts on the stretched tree limb. She released her clones as she stared down at the two men, making Yamato sigh in relief as he released his Jutsu.

"Good work, now we can start on making your new Jutsu," Kakashi says as he watches the girl lean over, panting before she collapses on the limb. Kakashi jumps up besides her, "Naruto! Are you alright!?" He checked her over. _'She must've overdone it!'_

"I'm hungryyyy," she whines.

 _'You're really something you know,'_ Kakashi thought as he smiles down at the girl.

~3~

"What? Where's Ayame-san?" Kakashi asks as he stares at the man who owns Ichiraku's.

"She's on vacation, these guys are new hires," he tells the younger male.

"I'm Nishi!" One introduces himself.

"I'm Matsu!" The other man says.

"Please…Ra…men…chan…" Naruto whimpers out as the twins giggle at their mother.

"Here you are, sir! One extra-large Miso Ramen with extra pork!" Matsu says as he quickly puts the girls bowl in front of her.

"Finally!" Naruto exclaims as she now has drool dripping down from her mouth. Ichiraku noticed something as Matsu's thumb was inside of the broth. "Itadaki-maaaaaaaa…aaa…what?" Naruto starts crying when the old man takes the bowl from in front of her, the twins burst out laughing.

"Dammit, you stuck your finger in it!" Ichiraku shouts at Matsu as he swats him. "Be more careful! The customer's aren't here to taste your hands!"

"Forgive me," the man whimpers out as her rubs his head.

"Stop it! Nishi, make another one!" He tells the other young man.

"Yes! Yes, sir!" The man shouts and raises his hand.

"H…hurry," Naruto said as she lies down on top of the counter, drool pooling out of her mouth.

"Here you are, ma'am!" Nishi shouts and then trips, spraying the whole bowl of ramen all over Matsu.

"Ah! Nishi-kun, that burns!" Matsu screams out.

"I slipped! Matsu-kun, I'm so sorry! I just slipped!" Nishi apologizes.

"If you'd cleaned the floor correctly, this wouldn't happen, you lazy idiots!" The old man growls out at them and they hurry and rush to hide behind Kakashi.

"Come on, Teuchi-san, calm down, that happens a lot, I'm sure, ha ha ha," Kakashi tells the older man.

"Exactly! That's the problem!" Teuchi growls out and starts smacking them.

"Ra-ramen," Naruto moans out as her daughter rubs her back before she turns and glares at the group who work in the kitchen. Finally after all the arguing was settled down, Naruto got a fresh bowl from Teuchi, Kushina eating hers just like her mother. Futarou on the other hand, looked at his bowl with a frown but still lifted the chopsticks to take a small bite. Yamato snuck away during all the chaos and went to get the little boy some dumplings and brought them to him, placing them at the other side of the bowl, earning a huge smile from the boy.

 _'I figured since this isn't what I wanted to eat, the same would be said to the little tyke.'_ Yamato thought as he frowned at the bowl that was ordered for him.

"Alright! I'm re-energized now, let's get back to work!" Naruto shouts out as she eats the last bite.

"Easy, I have to explain a few things first," Kakashi tells the girl who stares at him. "Naruto, I've got something extremely cool to show you," he says as he stares at the girl.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from making these stories.

 **A/N:** Sorry about all the wait, but my health hasn't been so great. I'm now on constant meds so I'm actually feeling a lot better. My hubby is doing pretty well and so is my daughter.

 **Melyway:** Yup, and I did change a little of what she will be learning, and the twins do show up.

 **Desacori:** Yay, a new reviewer. I'm glad that you get to read this; I've enjoyed this for a long time.

 **Chapter Fourteen**

"Naruto, I'm going to show something you'll find quite interesting," he says to the girl.

"What do you mean 'interesting'?" She asked as she looks back at him.

"Well, I also have a number of things I want to explain before we end our lunch break," he tells her and her eyes widens.

"What!? I've had more than enough explanation already!" Naruto whines.

"Don't worry, I have a way with words, so I'll get you in the mood, no problem," he tells her as he observes her emotions.

"Thanks for coming!" Teuchi shouts back at them as they leave; little Kushina bouncing in her steps while Futarou holds Kakashi's hand.

"Yamato, here, if you wouldn't mind," Kakashi tells him.

"What!? Isn't it the Sempai that's supposed to pay in these situations!?" Yamato glares at him as Kakashi stares back, still walking with Naruto and the twins.

"In my eyes, once I respect you, Sempai and Kouhai mean nothing. Granted, you're pretty much the only Kouhai I've ever respected," Kakashi tells him as he tries to butter up the man. "Although, I suppose I should…"

"Oh, no! I'll take care of everything!" Yamato exclaims as he blushes from the praise he got from Kakashi, while Naruto is giggling.

 _'Gotta admit, he's got a way with words.'_ Naruto thought as she continued to giggle as they walked away.

~3~

"So what are ya gonna show me?" Naruto asks as she stood in the middle of the clearing that they were training before.

"Now, hold on there, there's an order to everything. Let's review first," he tells her as she looks at him, confused. "Before we started this training, I told you about one more technique. A Chakra control technique just as important as 'elemental recomposition', you remember that?"

"Oh! I remember, it's, uhh…" Suddenly she couldn't think of anything.

"I'll take that as a meaning you forgot, so listen," he tells her as she giggles. "The other technique is 'spatial recomposition' where you change the shape of the Chakra. I explained it using Chidori, using that Jutsu, not only do you 'elementally recompose' your Chakra to lightning, but you also 'spatially recompose' it to discharge, thus determining the strength and scope of the attack."

"This part's important, a Shinobi's attack power is increased enormously when he also 'spatially recomposes' his Chakra, as opposed to only 'elementally recomposing' it, that is," Yamato explains. "Granted, the number of Shinobi who can recompose their Chakra both 'elementally' and 'spatially' at the same time is quite limited."

"With the training we just finished, you've acquired 'elemental recomposition' and you already know how to 'spatially recompose' your Chakra," Kakashi continues as he watches her remember the conversation she and him had earlier on in the training.

"Rasengan," she murmured as she stared into space.

"Right," Kakashi confirmed and watched as a small smile developed on her face until it was a full blown grin.

"Wait, so that means I already know both of them, right!?" Naruto asked.

"Yes, that is what it means," Kakashi confirms.

"Alright then! I'll be able to come up with a new Jutsu in no time!" She exclaims and the two older men stared at her, realizing she doesn't really get it. "This sounds like it's going to be a piece of cake!"

"Heh, if that were the case then I wouldn't have needed to develop Chidori," Kakashi tells her, making her stare at him with confused eyes. "This is what I wanted to show you, you'll find it quite interesting," Kakashi tells her and starts gathering his Chakra into the palm of his hand. He produces Rasengan, which makes the girl's face turn into shock quickly as Yamato smiles at his elder.

"K-Kakashi-sensei, you can use Rasengan too!?" She asks as she couldn't take her eyes off of the swirling orb in the man's hand.

"Yeah, but this was all I could do," he tells her as he looks at the orb himself. "I wasn't able to combine my 'elementally recomposed' 'lightning Chakra' with the 'spatially recomposed' Chakra of the Rasengan." He tells her as her jaw drops.

"It takes an incredible amount of skill to combine 'elemental' and 'spatial' recomposition together or rather, I might be better to say natural talent or sense?" Yamato mutters as Kakashi dissolves the orb.

"It's not just me who made it only this far, even my teacher, the person who devised Rasengan, also only made it this far," he tells her and she stares at him. "That's right, even for the Fourth Hokage, the task proved too difficult." She stood there, thinking about her father and all that she's found out about him since she's found out that he was her father. "The Fourth Hokage produced a form of 'spatial recomposition' of the absolute highest level, that being the Jutsu 'Rasengan'. Just regular 'spatial recomposition' has an 'A Rank' acquisition difficulty level. At just that level I can somehow manage to copy it, but that's where the problems start. Rasengan was originally a Jutsu that the Fourth Hokage had developed with the intention of combining his 'elemental recomposition' skills with."

"So then, does that mean that Rasengan still isn't fully developed?" She asked.

"That's exactly what it means," Yamato tells her.

"Whatever that fully developed Ninjutsu might be, it has an 'S Rank' or possibly even higher acquisition difficulty level, or it might even be impossible for all we know." Kakashi explains while staring her in the eyes. "From here on out, you're not going to be taught, you have to find out what to do on your own. Naruto, do you know why I'm telling you all of this?" He asked her and she stared at him, sweating a little. "It's because I have great expectations for you as a Shinobi, Naruto. I believe that only you can surpass the Fourth Hokage." As he said this her eyes continued to widen. "Anyway, that's enough talk for now. We'll break for just a little longer before we start training." The two men turned and started walking away from the girl.

"I've gotta admit, Kakashi-san, you do have quite the way with words," Yamato tells him.

"No," Kakashi tells him and Yamato stares at him. "I really do believe what I said," he tells him as Naruto starts forming symbols.

~3~

Yamato and Kakashi are staring at Naruto as her clones collapse one after another in the field where she's training. "This mass shadow clone method's pretty wild, but it produces big results." Kakashi says as the clones are struggling to get up.

 _'Damn it,'_ she curses and forms another Rasengan. _'Now mix it with wind Chakra,'_ she shouts out inside of her head, barely able to hold onto the orb as she struggles to control it. When she finally lost control of the orb it blew the Chakra out, making Naruto fly with the blast. _'God fucking damnit…I have to focus hard enough just to use Rasengan, combining it with nature manipulation's impossible,'_ she thought as her eyes flutter. _'This is when people usually say you have to think outside the box, or something,'_ she groans as she stood up, struggling to stay standing. She forced herself to create a new orb. _'Picture the two Chakra's melding into one!'_ She practically shouts at herself as the Kyuubi starts feeding her some Chakra, not realizing her kit was trying to take more of it, which in turn caused the cloak to form around her. She roars and pushes out her Chakra, destroying the clones around her.

"Tenzou!" Kakashi shouts at his friend.

"I know, I know!" Yamato shouts and forms a series of signs before he slams it down onto the dirt. They both watched as two tails formed at once, making the tail total go from two to four. The wooden seal bindings shoot out and start eating away at her Chakra, pinning her into place. "If we keep this up, Naruto's really going to get hurt, and I can't hold back the nine-tails forever."

"We don't have any other options. Whether Naruto completes the Jutsu or not depends on you," he tells the man.

"I know," Yamato says as they continue to watch the young girl as she falls unconscious.

~3~

Naruto's army of clones were now training in the pouring rain as one of the clones tries to infuse her nature Chakra into the Rasengan, when the clone started showing signs of the Kyuubi's input as the cloak appeared. "Hey! Everyone, look out! There's one that's going Kyuubi! There's one that's going Kyuubi!" Naruto warns her other clones before she shouts at her Captain, "Yamato Taichou, help!" Her clone roars out as two tails are already formed.

"Tenzou, its coming!" Kakashi shouts at his junior.

"Damn!" Yamato shouts and forms the signs then slams his palm down onto the ground. Naruto's clones were disappearing left and right, with cries and groans of pain. The wooden sealing Jutsu pins down the clone and starts to push the Kyuubi's Chakra back behind the seal, making Naruto sigh as she wipes her face.

"Are you ok?" Kakashi asks her as he quickly lands in front of the girl, surprising her. She looks away with a childish pout as she feels disappointed in herself for allowing even a clone to start losing control. "Since we entered the training to add 'wind manipulation' to the Rasengan, it's been one whole day, using approximately 200 Kage-Bunshin. If we sum up the hours of training as one person, its 4,800 hours, still nowhere near enough."

"But this training, the Chakra control is so difficult that 200 Kage-Bunshin is the max. It feels like I'll never be able to do it," Naruto says as she looks down at the ground between her knees, making Kakashi look at the girl. "To begin with, creating the Rasengan takes a ton of concentration, and then to add 'nature manipulation' on top of that is impossible."

"You're giving up so easily, it's not like you. Are you sure you're the Uzumaki Naruto that I know?" Kakashi asked her as he stared at her downcast blue eyes.

"But just this time, it's impossible," Naruto says as she feels depressed.

"You still have to do it," Kakashi tells her.

"When you're looking right and you're told to look left at the same time, can you do it, Kakashi-sensei!?" She asks her teacher as she has a depressed look on her face.

 _'That is indeed impossible,'_ Yamato thought as he watches them.

"I see, so that's what it is, then it's not impossible," Kakashi tells her as he watches her through a widened eye, making her look at him, confused. Kakashi started forming signs and then creates a clone. "While looking right, look left," he tells her as he looks one way while his clone looks the other way. "This is what you mean, right?" He asks and a shocked look, slowly turned into a grin of realization appears on her face.

"That's it!" She shouts as she jumps up in glee.

 _'Did she figure something out?'_ Kakashi wonders as he stares at the girl.

~3~

Standing there, trying to get the Jutsu to work, Naruto starts grinning. "Yes…yes! I think I'm getting it!" She starts getting excited as she saw the form of the Chakra orb changing, as blades show up in the center of it.

"Aah, so that's what you meant," Kakashi says as he watches her. "Makes sense, you learned how to use the Rasengan by using a clone to take care of the shape manipulation while you released the Chakra, and this is an extension of that technique."

"Right! I just need a second clone to handle the nature manipulation!" She says as she grins at him. "I can't look left and right at the same time myself, but I can have two clones each look one way! All you have to do is split the job up into smaller pieces!" She tells him.

"So my little joke earlier actually helped you out?" Kakashi asks. _'Only Naruto has both the Chakra and the Jutsu to come up with that. I couldn't do it like that, even if I was the Fourth, Naruto,'_ Kakashi thought as he looks at the girl. "No less from the Leaf's number 1 surprising Ninja, eh Naruto? I gotta say," he pauses as the girl and her clones stare at him in confusion. "I really like you now!" He smiles at her and she freaks out since he's more of an older brother to her. She ends up losing concentration and the Jutsu blows her and her clones away from it, making the clones disappear as she cries out and slides away from the man.

"Don't say weird shit like that, you friggin idiot! I finally got the Jutsu and your creepy ass threw me off!" She shouts as she looks at him.

"Uhh, I didn't mean it like that, I'm trying to s-" Naruto interrupts him.

"Back off!" She shouts as she tries to continue scooting back from him.

"I have a report!" A messenger says as he lands in front of Yamato.

"Huh?" Naruto wonders what's going on as both her and Kakashi walks towards the two.

"Kakashi-senpai! We have to stop training and return to the village right now!" Yamato tells them.

"Huuuuh?" Naruto drags out as her jaw drops.

"What happened?" Kakashi asks and Yamato looks down, not wanting to tell them.

"Sarutobi Asuma-san, has passed away," he tells the two and they had similar reactions. Their eyes widening in shock as they both were friends with the man. Naruto felt her heart clench as she stood there watching the man.

~3~

The whole village was gathered, all dressed in black as they stood before the grave marker for Asuma. Kuranai kneels before it as she places the flower bouquet on top of it. "U-uncle Asuma," Konohamaru sobs as he rubs the tears from his eyes as Naruto places her arm around him, hugging him.

 _'Asuma,'_ Kakashi frowns as he looks at his friends' grave.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Ino asks Chouji in a quiet voice.

"I went to his house, but his mom said he'd left a while ago," he tells her.

~3~

Yamato stares down inside of the huge crater at the blond pig tailed girl that is standing at the bottom of it panting as pieces of debris is falling down around her. _'It…it's this much?'_ He wonders as he stares at her with widened eyes.

"Just a bit more and it's complete!" She says as she stares at her clenched fist, while Yamato slides down the side of the crater to be besides her. "With this, I'll be able to catch up to Sasuke," Naruto says as a smirk pops up on her lips.

"That is true, but, be careful of the 'fire' elemental manipulation Sasuke uses," Yamato warns her.

"Huh?" She looks at him with confused eyes.

"It's probably about time I explain to you about the measurement relations of the 'five major element manipulation'," he stares down at the ground as he rustles inside of his pouch.

"Measurement?" She asks.

"Yeah, to put it simply, the five 'fire', 'water', 'earth', 'lightning', 'wind' elemental manipulation, holds a measurement relationship and is connected," he says as he pulls out a scroll and a brush so that he could draw her a diagram.

"So what does that mean?" She asks.

"I'll explain in a diagram," he says as he rolls some of the scroll out and starts writing. "The 'five major element manipulation' is shown like this in a diagram and so, for example, the 'fire' element manipulation is superior to 'wind' and is inferior to 'water'. To put it even more simply, Naruto, your Fuuton Jutsu is in a relationship position that would lose to Sasuke's Katon Jutsu. Only Suiton can win against a Katon."

"Why?" She asks.

"Fire burns even stronger when it receives wind. However, pour water on it and it disappears. Meaning, if you clash a Fuuton Jutsu of the same level against Sasuke's Katon Jutsu, it will come back at you as an even larger Katon. However, look above and below 'wind'. While it's true 'wind' is weak against 'fire' it's strong against 'lightning'. Meaning, your new Jutsu, will be stronger than Sasuke's Raiton, 'Chidori'! Naruto, you're lucky you weren't an 'Earth' element manipulation type," he explains as he smiles at the girl who looks deep in thought.

"I really was compatible with Sasuke," she murmurs.

"Yeah, only 'wind' can win against 'lightning'," he tells her.

"No, that's not what I meant," she interrupts him, drawing a confused look from Yamato. "I meant the only one that can help a 'fire' and turn it into an even larger power is the power of 'wind." A small smile forms on her lips.

"Yeah, that's right," he tells her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto, and I do not gain any money from creating stories about the characters in the manga/anime.

 **A/N:** Sorry, guys. I've been having issues between me being really accident prone and my hubby having to go into the hospital for procedures that calls for it. I am going to be trying my best to get at least a few more chapters out. Just saying that it would be great for a night of no sleep unless I'm so tired I pass out.

 **Melyway:** I'm glad you think that. Now, just wait patiently and I hope you will enjoy it. You will see what happens as soon as you read it.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it; I think this is one of the updates you might actually love more.

 **Chapter Fifteen**

The three are looking at the combined form of Kakuzu and his three creations. His form would normally freak anyone out at first glance, the threadlike tendrils that stick out of every part of his stitched up from, like they were being controlled by him. The threads have inserted themselves inside of the three that were facing him.

"Urgh!" Kakashi groans out as he winces from the pain while staring at the man. _'Too fast!'_

"Ahh!" Ino started to freak out as she stares at the strands. _'We're trapped!'_

"Crap!" Chouji grit out as he glared back at the man.

"Die…now…" Kakuzu growls out and starts sending strands of his threads at them, shocking the group, until two voices shout out as they combine their Jutsu's to form a single attack that they sent to attack the man. The Wind Rasengan and the water attack combined and created a maelstrom that knocked Kakuzu back. When the dust clears, it revealed the four man squad sent to back up theirs, shocking Kakuzu.

"Hope we're not too late," Naruto says as she glares at the man while she and the other three stand in-between the other three.

"Just in time," Kakashi says after he sighs in relief.

"Sakura, Sai-san, even Naruto," Ino says with a relief filled voice.

"Re-reinforcements, we're saved!" Chouji gasps out in relief.

"This is the first time I've seen you lose your cool, Sempai," Yamato taunts. "This opponent must be quite strong."

"Another strange guy's shown up, and she's already a mess," Kakuzu says as he looks Naruto over.

"What about Shikamaru?" She asks as she looks over at Chouji.

"He's fighting this guy's partner," Chouji tells her.

"Hurry and get a two-man cell to Shikamaru. One should be a Medical Nin," Kakashi says as he lifts his hand and summons Pakkun.

"I'll lead the way!" The little dog says.

"Right! Sai and Sakura follow Pakkun and back up Shikamaru," he tells the other two.

"Yes, captain!" Sakura and Sai tell him.

"You've brought more hearts to me," Kakuzu says as he chuckles.

"Leave this guy to me," Naruto says as she starts walking slowly towards him.

"Let's hurry and go!" Pakkun says as he starts walking the way that Shikamaru went.

"I'm counting on you, Naruto!" Sakura tells her over her shoulder and the three starts to go after Shikamaru.

"Did you complete the Jutsu?" Kakashi asks the girl as he observes her body, making Yamato look back at him.

"No, it's about half-strength," he tells his Sempai as Naruto grits her teeth.

"I see," Kakashi says.

"However," he pauses with a small smile on his lips. "See for yourself, that's not the Naruto you once knew!"

"Mass Shadow Cones," Kakuzu stares at the girl and her clones. "Ah haaa, you're the nine-tails Jinchuuriki."

"Can you brief me on the situation and his abilities?" Yamato asks Kakashi.

"We're up against two members of "Akatsuki". Shikamaru is fighting one and his back up is on the way, obviously," Kakashi stared at the man who looks like a freak show right now. "The other is right in front of you; his main ability is splitting off parts of his body. He started this battle with five hearts; we've taken out two so far."

"Excuse me?" Yamato asks as he stares at the man with a hint of shock in his eyes.

"Basically, we've killed him twice already and we have to kill him three more times to win," Kakashi looks ragged as he stares at their enemy. "He's a mid-range fighter and can use high-level Jutsu of every element."

 _'No wonder Senpai had his hands full,'_ Yamato thought as he in turn looks at Naruto. "Naruto!"

"I heard 'im!" She shouts and two clones start running towards the man.

"Naruto!" Chouji panics as he watches the girl.

"You can't fight him head on!" Ino shouts and watches as the girls clones get tangled up in the threads until her real form starts running to attack. Kakuzu's eyes widen when he stares at her movements, noticing that she's moving like she's fought him before. She groans out as she saw more threads wrapping around her form and it disappears showing him that it was a clone.

"Are Shadow Clones all you got? That's not enough, kid," Kakuzu taunts as he slides on the ground.

 _'That fighting style combined with his speed means I need at least three Shadow Clones to distract him,'_ Naruto thought as she rubs her nose.

 _'She used the clones to get some experience fighting him, and then gained their knowledge when they disappeared. She treated that first exchange like a simulation, looks like Naruto's finally learned how to use Shadow Clones to their full potential,'_ Kakashi thought as he observes her while she brings out three more clones. Kakuzu's eyes widen in shock as he stares at the girl who starts forming her new Jutsu with two of the clones she summoned.

"W-what is that?" Ino stammers out.

"That's some screech, a-and the Chakra's incredible," Chouji shakes as he watches.

~3~

"This is the best I can do for now," Naruto says as the clones disappear. Kakashi holds up his hand that holds a normal Rasengan.

"Alrighty, let's test it out. Smash it into my Rasengan as hard as you can, ready?" He asks as he looks at her.

"Are you nuts?!" She shouts until he starts running towards her and smashes the Rasengan into the wind Rasengan; sliding to a stop he grunts and then looks back at her. His eyes widening as he saw the outline of her father standing up behind her.

~3~

They all stared at the girl in shock as she formed a Shuriken looking Rasengan. "W-wow," Ino says as she stares in disbelief.

"O-oh my god," Chouji looks up at it while Yamato smiles.

"What…what Jutsu is that?" Kakuzu wonders as he stares at it himself. _'I can't get hit with that, gotta dodge it!'_ He thought as the girl glares back at him, her eyes already changing to show her fox-like half to him. The two clones on each side of her are standing at the ready so that they could support her if she needs them to.

"Fuuton: Rasen Shuriken, we're going to decide it with this!" She shouts as her three clones started to rush towards the enemy.

"I'll help too!" Chouji shouts and just as he is about to start to join Naruto, Yamato stops him.

"No, don't get close to Naruto! You'll get hit by it too!" Yamato shouts which shocks the others.

"So this is the Kyuubi Jinchuuriki's power, it's a monstrous Jutsu," Kakuzu says as he observes the girls movements. Just as a clone jumps up and starts trying to stab him, he shoots some of his tendrils out to wrap around her. Her other two clones start attacking the man's body, where he still had two masks attached to him. He used them to create two different kinds of attacks that hit both of the clones attacking his body. He saw the girl rushing towards him as she shouts with her Jutsu still inside of her hand. _'Shit,'_ Kakuzu thought as he knew he was barely able to avoid it. He detached his limbs and let the tendrils move them further from his body as the girl brought the attack to his midriff but before it could be used it disappeared.

"Huh?" Chouji murmured out as he tried to figure out what happened.

"What? Did she hit him?" Ino wondered out loud.

"A miss," Yamato quietly said as his eyes widened.

"Just like the unpredictable Ninja to do this, Yamato!" Kakashi shouts as he starts running towards the two.

"Yeah!" He shouts back at his Senpai.

"Damn!" Naruto grunts out as the tendrils are wrapping around her form.

"I'll take your heart," Kakuzu threatens as he tries to pull her towards him until he saw some movement out from the corner of his eyes. Kakashi covered his hand in lightning and cut through the strands that were flying all around the man. When he cuts through them, the strands fall down and releases Naruto as Kakashi grabs her and jumps away from the enemy as Yamato sends some of his wood to attack him. The wood spreads out as Kakuzu starts trying to avoid it; he succeeds as the wood crashes into a tree.

"Daaammn!" Naruto grunts out as she winces from the ground besides a kneeling Kakashi.

"After acting so cool, if you say it's just Naruto, it is, but…" Ino stops herself as she closes her eyes in relief that the girl is okay.

"From a name like Rasen Shuriken, I thought you'd throw it, so why do you have to run and hit them with it?" Chouji asks.

"What are you trying to say?! It's awesome if I can hit them!" Naruto shouts at the young man while Kakashi thinks hard on what the young woman was trying to do.

"Even though it's called a Rasen Shuriken, it has to be a direct hit from a zero distance. That's why the basics of this Jutsu are using Kagebunshin as a feint, but…" Yamato explains a little before stopping as the girl looks at him from red slitted eyes.

"The new Jutsu's time limit is still too short. It only lasts a few seconds," Kakashi muses.

"You can hit him with that, with that guy as an opponent," Chouji stops himself as he notices the young woman is in deep thought.

 _'That Jutsu, as long as I don't get close, I'm okay. As long as I avoid close quarters fight and always keep my attention on the original that has the Jutsu, it's not that scary.'_ Kakuzu thinks as he doesn't take his eyes off of the girl who is starting to stand up.

"Let me do this one more time," Naruto says as Kakashi looks up at her. "I'll decide this with my new Jutsu."

"The opponent is 'Akatsuki', if you do the same thing, he'll just dodge it!" Ino warns.

"Now that the feints have been exposed it won't work anymore. Let's all do this together!" Chouji says as he looks at the enemy.

"That is true, in this situation, right now it's 5 against 1. There's no need to cross a dangerous bridge," Kakashi says as he looks back at Kakuzu.

 _'Now, what will they do?'_ The man wonders.

"Kakashi-sensei," Naruto says to get the man's attention. "Do you remember what you said to me during my training?" She asked and he looks at her with confused eyes. "That 'the only Shinobi that can surpass the Fourth Hokage is you, that's what I believe.'" When she says this it shocks the others into silence. "It's true that teamwork is important, and I know that, but right now, I want to cross that dangerous bridge by myself. If I can't get to the other side, then I'll stay a kid forever," she says as she closes her eyes. "Please, don't do anything to remove that bridge."

"Heh, what do you think, Yamato?" Kakashi asks him.

"Yes, you still haven't seen it, have you? Naruto is different from before," Yamato says.

"It's decided then," Kakashi says as she looks at the enemy. "Go, Naruto!" He tells his student.

"Yessir!" She shouts out and starts to go after Kakuzu again.

 _'Switching to long range mode is probably better,'_ Kakuzu thought as he spits out some of his threads making them into tentacles, in turn ripping the hat right off of his head. The tentacles waved around making the two younger bystanders gasp out.

"Not only did his form change, he's building up his Chakra too," Yamato observes as he grits his teeth.

"Preparing himself against Naruto's Jutsu, huh," Kakashi says as he watches the man who is staring at the girl. Naruto quickly forms signs to bring out three more clones that automatically start to form the Jutsu.

 _'Here it comes,'_ Kakuzu thought as he readies himself for the Jutsu.

"Okay! It's ready!" The original Naruto shouts out.

"Keep going!" One of her clones tells her as all three of the clones start to run up to the enemy yet again. They were shocked when Kakuzu uses his tentacles to jump straight above them.

"He jumped!" Chouji shouts out as the original Naruto keeps on running with her Jutsu still in her hand.

 _'I'll ignore the Kagebunshin diversion behind me, my target is just the original one,'_ Kakuzu thought as he stared at the girl. _'If I just crush that Jutsu, I have nothing to worry about.'_ He sends his tentacles to attack the girl.

"He's seen through it after all!" Ino shouts as the tentacles get closer to the girl, hitting the ground and shooting dust all around. When the dust clears all you could see was a puff of smoke that is disappearing.

 _'What the…a Kage Bunshin!?'_ Kakuzu thought as he stares down at where his tentacles hit, not noticing that Naruto and two of her clones are behind him, with the Jutsu activated. _'This girl! She mixed the original up with the diversion!'_ Kakuzu shoots his stare up to the girl as she shouts out while she sends the attack to the man.

"Gotchaaa!" Naruto shouts out as she slams the attack into the man's core, hitting him square in the center. Kakuzu grunts out as he flies back from the attack as it starts hitting every single one of his cells. The attack forms a dome of wind all around Kakuzu and sends out bursts of wind causing the others to reel back from it. Kakuzu's last masks are shattering now as the wind dissipates.

 _'The attack frequency is amazing, even with the Sharingan, I couldn't see it all. What a Jutsu,'_ Kakashi thought as he watches the man's body fall to the ground, inside of the crater the Jutsu made.

"Hehe, alright, I did it," Naruto says as she grins at the impact that her Jutsu had on the surrounding. Ino and Chouji quickly walk over to Naruto and lift her up into a sitting position so that Ino could heal her.

"I'd never have thought you used your real body for that distraction," Ino says as her hands are now healing the girls many injuries.

"Hehe, you're not Shikamaru, but…you're pretty smart too, aren't you, Naruto?" Chouji teases her with a small smile on his chubby face.

"Heh, comparing me with Shikamaru, huh," she says as she smiles back at him.

"However, using that new Jutsu three times is rather impressive. During training, you could barely use it twice," Yamato says as he smiles proudly at the girl.

 _'To come up with a new strategy so fast after failing in her first attempt, she believes strongly in herself. Naruto has truly become strong, taking a Jutsu that even the 4_ _th_ _couldn't complete to this level,'_ Kakashi thought as he stares at the girl as she gets healed. _'Perhaps it's already time for this new generation to take over now. I wonder if she's already surpassed me. Can you feel it?'_ Kakashi wonders as he thinks about Sasuke. _'You, who have always been there in front of her eyes, Naruto is steadily getting stronger, right, Sasuke?'_

"It's time to go, Senpai," Yamato tells the man.

"Yeah," Kakashi says as he turns to stare back inside of the crater.

"Alright everyone, let's go back to Konoha, shall we?" Yamato says as he walks back to the others.

"What about Kakashi-sensei?" Ino asks.

"He'll clean up, here," Yamato says as he looks at the girl who is being held up by Chouji. Kakuzu groans as Kakashi lands just inches from his head.

"For me…to be beaten…by kids like you," he grits out as he looks up at the white haired man.

"Well, to someone who fought the 1st Hokage, I guess we do look like kids. However, from our point of view, you're nothing but a crazy old man," he tells him as he looks down at the almost pulverized male. "Thus, here you lie in the dirt, and now your time to die has come," he activates the Chidori as his hand becomes covered in the lightning. "From one generation to the next, the following one will continue to surpass the previous."

~3~

"Great work, everyone. However, 'Akatsuki' is still out there. So, don't let your guard down just yet," Lady Tsunade says as she stares at the two teams that completed the mission. "For now though, you can all take a break. You deserve it."

~3~

The three younger ones on the squad were sitting at Ichiraku's where Naruto is trying to eat. She left the twins with Shika's mom since they were asleep. "Oww, hot!" Naruto screeches as some of the noodles hit her hand. "It's hard to eat with my left hand." Sakura looks at Naruto's arm that is in a cast and remembered what the girl told her when she was healing her.

~3~

"There's multiple fractures…your body couldn't hold up against the Jutsu," Sakura tells her friend as she runs her healing hands over the petite arm of Naruto's. "This new Jutsu should only be used when you know you got them! Don't use it too often!"

"Hehe, it'll be fine as long as you heal it," Naruto says as she grins widely at the pink haired girl.

"That's not what I'm saying!" She shouts at the young woman. "Medical Ninjutsu can't heal every injury right away!"

"But, this kind of makes me happy," Naruto tells her after she watches the young woman for a minute.

"Huh?" Sakura wonders as her eyes widened.

"It feels like we're getting closer to Sasuke, together," Naruto says as she looks at her hand before she looks up at Sakura and grins widely.

~3~

Sakura just stares at the girl and then moves her seat closer. "I guess it can't be helped, give me your chopsticks," she says as the blond looks at her friend with a shocked face.

 _'Co-could it be Sakura-chan…is going to feed…'_ she stops the train of thought as she wondered why she was doing this.

"Open wide~" Sai said on the other side of Naruto as he took great pleasure in feeding the pig tailed girl.

"Ow, hot! It's hot, and on top of that, it's not supposed to be you guys feeding me!" Naruto complains as she always had this thought about what would happen if she were sick and Sasuke was around, taking care of her like he always used to when she got sick or hurt badly.

"Hey~," Kakashi sings out as he got their attention.

"When a friend is in need, a true friend helps them, that's what the book…" Sai says but is interrupted.

"Forget the stupid book, read the situation! The situation!" Naruto shouts out as she doesn't want either of them to feed her.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura says as her attention turns to their teacher.

"Mmm? It's so noisy over here," he says as he stares at his team, wondering what's going on.

 _'Tch! So it's Kakashi-sensei instead!?'_ Naruto grumbles in her head as she gets fed when she doesn't want them to. She wanted to feed herself but no one would allow her to.

"You're not in a hospital bed this time. That's unusual, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said as she watched the man feed Naruto.

"Right now, that's how you all see me, I'm shocked," he says as he looks at the girl over his shoulder. "Well, this time, I didn't have to use the Mangekyou Sharingan. If you guys hadn't shown up that time, I would have had to use it," he says as he rubs his eye under his visor. "And then I'd be in that hospital bed right now, like you're expecting," he laughs until he noticed Naruto looking a little depressed and knew she was thinking about Sasuke. "Naruto, you really have become strong. Enough to stand side-by-side with me, or even surpassing," he tells the girl and she looks at him along with the other two shocked. "But remember, the greater the Jutsu, the greater the risk to the user."

"Yeah," she says as she looks down, depressed again.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from making these stories.

 **A/N:** I hope you guys love all of these new updates because I'm having so much fun doing them. Granted I do have to pause a little bit every little bit because of real life stuff but that should be expected.

 **Melyway:** Yup, she does. I hope you enjoy this update.

 **Chapter Sixteen**

Kakashi looked at Naruto as she stared down at her cast on her arm. He thought back to the conversation he had with Yamato and the fifth Hokage. "Naruto, about that new Jutsu…"

"Sensei," she interrupts the man. "About my own body, I know it best!" She says as she looks at him. "I'm the girl who's going to become Hokage! I'm an awesome girl, so there's no problem!" She shouts with a huge grin on her face.

"Hah," Sakura sighs and touches her forehead as Sai looks over at the girl with an expressionless face. Kakashi couldn't say anything at this time since he knew exactly how she was.

"Old man, thanks for the meal! Kakashi-sensei will pay for it~!" Naruto says as she gets up and walks out of the stall. When she leaves she stops in her tracks when Konohamaru and one of his clones are standing before her with a serious look on his face. "So, you're finally getting the Kagebunshin."

"What? What's going on?" Sakura asked as she and the other two walk out of the stall together.

"Alright then, let's see how much you've improved, do it!" Naruto shouts as she stands there with a grin on her face.

"Alright, Naruto-neechan!" Konohamaru shouts and starts forming signs, he transforms into two robust women, one blond and one brunet. "Oiroke-Onna no ko doushi no Jutsu!"

"Ooooooh! So that's how you're gonna do it!" Naruto shouts as Sakura's face shows outrage and the other two emotionless.

"Take that, neechan! These two girls were…" He gets interrupted when Sakura punches him in the gut, making a grunt pop out of his mouth.

"Don't explain," she shouts out at the boy. "You'd better not be doing this kind of things every time you see each other, huh?"

"No, this Jutsu can be used as a diversion too. Besides this is a serious…shall we say competition between the two of us," Naruto tries to explain to the woman as Konohamaru glares up at the woman.

"Don't go about escalating this between the two of you! You perverted Ninjas! A diversion? Only you two would fall for a Jutsu like this!" She grits out as she scolds the two, not paying attention to the teen that is forming signs.

"Oiroke-otoko no ko doushi no Jutsu!" Konohamaru says as he transforms into a naked Sasuke and Sai.

"Kyaaah! So that's how it is!" Sakura shouts out in glee as her nose drips blood, Naruto shows a pissed off look even though her cheeks are blushing majorly from the fact that she is staring at the man that she loves image.

"Oh, it's me and Sasuke," Sai says as he stares at his image.

"Oh!" Sakura finally realizes that she was looking more at the naked Sai than Sasuke and she shows shock on her face.

"Don't go showing my boyfriends naked form off and Sai? Really? I don't want to see him naked, Sakura might but not me!" Naruto shouts as she pops the teen on his head, making him grunt out.

"Ye-yeah, don't just keep making up those kinds of useless Jutsu and train for some more useful Jutsu," Sakura tries to cover up her expressions and her eyes widen as everyone looks at her, not believing her one bit. "Wh-what? No-no! I don't like that kind of…" She stops when she realizes they aren't buying it.

"Heh, you're just the same as us, you are…" Konohamaru snickers at her.

~3~

Sakura was at Naruto's front door waiting after a servant told her to wait in the garden. Her jaw was slacked as she took the time to look all around her at the compound that she didn't know that Naruto lived on. It amazed her that the girl was a part of a huge clan that required the use of a huge compound. Naruto ushered Sakura inside and sat her at the table while she looked sleepy wearing her formal Kimono that is required for her to wear when guest's come.

"What can I help you with?" The blond asks as she picks up her chopsticks and started to eat the breakfast that was made for her.

"Wow, you actually don't eat Ramen for breakfast," Sakura states as she watches a servant place a cup of tea in front of her.

"Sakura-chan, today's your day off. This early in the morning, what is it?" The blond asks as she sips on her own tea.

"It's already lunch time," Sakura states as she glares at the girl. "Well, whatever. Hurry up, wash your face and change, I'll wait for you."

"What? What for?" Naruto asks as she stares at the girl with confused eyes.

"Idiot! Lady Tsunade's calling us!" She yells at the girl until an older woman clears her throat.

"It would be lovely if you would treat my lady with the respect that she is due. Remember, you ARE the guest here," she says and looks at Naruto. "My lady, I have set out your clothes for the day, your Shinobi gear is on the table where your medications are as well. Do not forget to take it, please?"

"I won't, Mai, thank you," she smiles at the woman who has been taking care of her for the past few years before she turns to look at Sasuke. "If you would excuse me, I will go and get ready." She gets up and walks to her room, shutting her double doors as she stares at the medication that she's been taking since before the twins were born, sighing and picking up the cup to take the pain meds.

~3~

"You're late!" Tsunade shouts at the girl and glares at Jiraiya over her shoulder. "What were you doing taking your sweet time!"

"Take it easy, Tsunade," the male says as he holds his hands up to ward her off.

"O-our apologies, Naruto was eating breakfast, or…uh…lunch," Sakura bows her head as she notices that the older woman is looking irritated.

"Oh? Ero-sennin, too," Naruto says as she stood there in a nice kimono standing before the desk.

"It's been a while, Naruto!" Jiraiya grins at his pupil.

"So, what was it that you wanted to talk to us about?" Sakura asked her master.

"Hmm," Tsunade hums and stares at the blond girl as she noticed that the girl had her hair done in a simple but sturdy hairdo that her maids have done. "It concerns the information that has been circling in most places throughout the region. It's about that."

"Information?" Sakura asks.

"What? What is it?" Naruto asks as Jiraiya stares at the two.

"Orochimaru is dead. It appears Uchiha Sasuke killed him," she tells them, making the two hold surprised looks on their faces.

"Is-is that…true!?" Naruto stutters out as her jaw drops.

"There's no mistaking it, I heard from a reliable source," Jiraiya tells her.

"Then…" Sakura clenches her fist in front of her chest.

"There's no way he would have been beaten by the likes of Orochimaru!" Naruto says as she bursts out laughing. "So, Sasuke's coming back to Konoha! Right?" She asks and the woman closes her eyes, not wanting to answer the girl.

"It seems that's not the case," Jiraiya tells her, feeling for her.

"What the hell do you mean?" Naruto practically growls and glares back at her mentor. "Why not? How could he not come back now that Orochimaru's gone!?"

"Sasuke is obsessed with getting revenge. He'll try to find Akatsuki so he can kill his brother Itachi," Jiraiya said as he stared at the young women.

"That bastard again, damn him! Shit!" She grits her teeth as she remembers what he said to her. "We need to form a platoon and move out right now! The mission to hunt down Akatsuki is still going on, right?"

"Yeah," Tsunade said as she looked at the woman.

"To get to Sasuke, we need to go after the member of Akatsuki we've got the best chance of finding! In other words, we need to find Uchiha Itachi," Naruto says seriously as she stares back at the Hokage.

"Uchiha Itachi, eh, what about him?" Tsunade asked.

"If we can just capture one member of Akatsuki, we can turn them over to Ibiki-san and let him extract whatever information he can get," Sakura says.

"I did order each squadron to make every effort to take members of Akatsuki alive, if they encountered any," Tsunade said as she looked like she was getting lost in thought.

"Unfortunately, they're not very easy to talk to. If you look at our previous encounters with them, capturing them was either too dangerous or not an option," Kakashi said as he leans against the door jamb of the now opened office door.

"Kakashi," Sakura says as she looks back at the man while Naruto looks back as well.

"Then what're we supposed to do!?" Naruto shouts out as she is lost to what to do.

"Well, the only thing we can do is do our best to find Itachi, right?" He says as he steps closer to the girl.

"So you want to hunt down Itachi in order to find Sasuke. Let's say you actually find Itachi, what're you gonna do then?" Tsunade asks and the two girls were lost in thought.

"Well, we can't do anything with just a single platoon," Kakashi said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Naruto asks the man.

"If we kill Itachi, Sasuke will no longer have a target. So our only choice is to capture him and to do that, we'll have several platoons deployed at the same time," Sakura says.

"Exactly, although in reality, one team of two platoons would be ideal. When you've only got one or two people to apprehend, having three or more teams makes it easier for them to spot you, and the chain of command becomes much more complex," Kakashi says as he looks over at Naruto.

"Plus, you need a lot more techniques to capture someone than you do to kill them. Communication is also vital, so you'll want a squad that's been on a lot of missions together," Jiraiya finished up.

"I agree. In fact, I've already picked up a team that I think fits that description perfectly," Kakashi says and turns to the door. "In, everyone," once he says this the door opens.

~3~

"We sure got stuck with some lousy weather, huh?" Kakashi says as they stood outside in the pouring rain. The two squads stood in front of the gates as they were ready to depart. The ones waiting for them to leave are Tsunade, Shizune and the twins who were pouting that they couldn't go on the mission with their mother.

"Everyone move out!" Naruto shouts to the others as they all stood with their rain cloaks protecting them from the rain.

"Actually, I think the rain might help our resident hot-head cool off," Kiba says with a grin on his face as he sits on top of Akamaru. They all take off and end up landing on the roof of a building.

"Alright then, to start off, we'll make this our starting point, and search the surrounding 5 km. North, South, East and West. We'll fan out in all directions. If we don't find anything we'll search out the surrounding 5 km from another center point, and continue as such," Kakashi says as he looks at everyone.

"5 kilometers, but if we fan out that far, we can't use our wireless communication devices, right? And if that happens, we'll be isolated and that'll definitely be bad news," Sakura tells him. "For patrols, it's recommended that we move in two-man teams at the very least, in case we encounter the enemy…"

"Sakura, you don't really see it," Yamato interrupts before he turns and saw Kakashi summoning his canine squad.

"Our voices can reach much farther than any wireless communication device!" One said.

"We can sense danger the fastest with our noses!" Another said as Sakura stares in shock.

"Pakkun!" Naruto says with a huge smile on her face.

"Alrighty, I'll explain the team makeup now. For this mission, you will each have two of my dog summons with you at all times," Kakashi tells them.

"Two? Heh? But…" Sakura stutters.

"So then, make sure you little kids play nice and get along," Kakashi says with a smile.

"You can count on me, Sakura-chan!" A dog says with a tuft of hair on the top of his head.

"Jesus, can't you just shut up for one second?" The spiky haired dog says.

"I'll go with Shino," a dog with sun glasses says while his partner hums in agreement.

"Nice to meet you," Sai says to the two dogs, where one of them growls at him.

"And what about me?" Naruto wonders until she decides to bring out two foxes for herself.

"You're the targeted 'Jinchuuriki'. The 'Akatsuki' are aiming to take you down. Taking that into account, Yamato and Hinata will be going with you. Hinata has the Byakugan, so she's a good fit for the job." Kakashi said even as he stares at the two menacing looking foxes that she summons.

"You'll also get the big guy," Pakkun says as he turns his head to look at the only dog that would be able to work with the two foxes, the big dog woofed at the foxes that smelled him and they snorted.

"Not impressed," a female voice says coming from the pure red fox as the black tipped white one turns her nose up at him as well.

"I'll…I won't let you down, Naruto-chan," Hinata tells her best friend.

"Ok!" Naruto says as she grins widely at her.

"Kiba, since you have Akamaru, I'll take Pakkun," Kakashi tells the young man.

"No problem, we're already prepared!" He shouts out.

"Is that alright with everyone? First off, our top priority is to chase after Sasuke's scent, after that, we'll deal with the Akatsuki. Also, if any of you happen to run into either of them, flee for the time being and return here," Kakashi says and raises his hand in the air. "Spread out!" He shouts and everyone speeds off.

~3~

Naruto, Yamato and Hinata with the huge animals walk through the forest, keeping their eyes open for any sign of anything. "Naruto, Hinata, you know what to do," Yamato tells them.

"Yeah," Naruto says.

"Yes," Hinata quietly says before Yamato spins around and throws Shuriken behind them at the figure that was hiding. The two women spin around and Naruto's eyes widen.

"You're…" Naruto's jaw drops.

"Looks like I wasn't hiding well enough," Kabuto says as he crouched six feet from the group.

"Yakushi Kabuto, eh? Back in the village, you're listed as a wanted criminal with orders to capture on sight, but for you to come to us willingly, you've got quite the nerve," Yamato says with a wry tone to his voice.

"Well, I have a little something to talk with Naruto about," he tells the man, making Naruto stare at him with confused eyes.

"Is it true that Sasuke killed Orochimaru!?" She asks him.

"Heh, nothing but Sasuke, same as always, but yes, it's true," Kabuto says. "More importantly, I've brought a little present for you, Naruto." He holds out a book to the girl.

"And what is that?" Yamato asks.

"Information on 'Akatsuki' that had previously been gathered by our organization," Kabuto tells them.

"Why did you bring that?" Naruto asks.

"Why to give it to you, of course," Kabuto says.

"So, are you trying to make a deal with us for something?" Yamato asks.

"No, I don't expect something like this to be much of a bargaining chip, especially when dealing with Konoha," Kabuto explains.

"Well then, what? Unlike Orochimaru, it's not like 'Akatsuki's' after you, right?" Yamato asks.

"This is a mere present, a token of thanks for Naruto. Akatsuki is after Naruto, after all," he tells the group.

"A token of thanks?" Naruto asks as her brows furrowed.

"You see, after Orochimaru died, I found myself not knowing who I was, again," Kabuto explains as he looks down, seeming like he was depressed a little bit. "Without knowing parent or country, I was taken in by the enemy. From a young age I've moved about countries and villages as a spy. To me things like countries, villages, they hold no firm reality in my mind. That was, of course, until I found myself under the wing of Lord Orochimaru." He tosses the book towards them. "But that presence once again left me. Who am I anyway," he wondered out loud as the book landed at the groups' feet. "The pain of not having an identity, I'd think you should understand, Naruto. Am I Naruto Uzumaki, or am I the nine-tails. I'm sure you asked yourself such in the past, the victim of the heartless gazes of people surrounding you." He watched as the young woman stares at him a tiny frown on her brow. "But you, you chose to believe in your own power, that you are Naruto Uzumaki! With great persistence you overcame the gazes directed at the nine-tails, and that's why you came to know your own identity, gaining the respect of friends along with that realization. But I-I never attempted to surpass Lord Orochimaru, and merely clung to his great power," Kabuto pulls the hood down. "But now I truly understand how you felt, you made me become aware," he says as he smiles and removes his glasses. "I decided I wished to be like you as well, Naruto, and for that reason, with Lord Orochimaru now integrated into this body, I plan on finding a new 'me' one stronger than Lord Orochimaru himself." He grins manically at them, making their eyes widen as they finally see the deformed area on his face, his eye now looks like Orochimaru's did. "Finding a new me, that's a lesson you taught me, and also the reason for the thanks, Naruto. Lord Orochimaru is the symbol of rebirth, and as a goal, a greatness meant to be exceeded by me, he'll continue to live inside me."

"Taken within you, you said?" Naruto asks.

"Well, Sasuke did bring down one part of Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto says as he pulls his sleeve up his arm, showing the new scales growing on his arm. "As you can see, just a little bit of that was implanted into my body," he says and Naruto's eyes widen. "Nevertheless, the life force is incredible. On the other hand, it is steadily taking root within my body, as you can tell from this."

"What foolish words," Yamato says.

 _'What? Huh,'_ Hinata worried as she saw the scales and she activates her Byakugan. _'Already 30% of his body has been taken over.'_

"Even now I'm desperately resisting the inevitable fate of being conquered! I know that my existence is even capable of surpassing Lord Orochimaru!" Kabuto says as Naruto stares and then she starts laughing.

"Go ahead and give it your best shot! Within one of Konoha's jail cells that is!" She starts running towards him, throwing a punch that he barely avoids as he noticed Yamato behind him, winding his wood around Kabuto. "Alright! We got him!"

"Behind you!" Hinata shouts and the two look behind Yamato at Kabuto who stood there without the cloak, laughing.

"Damn it," Naruto grits out.

"When I have complete control over Orochimaru's power, I'll have a proper fight with you, Naruto, but I'll leave you for later, for Sasuke, the one who defeated Lord Orochimaru, comes first. Until we meet again," Kabuto forms some signs and disappears as the others stare now at the book he threw at them.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from creating these stories.

 **A/N:** I'm so happy that I have gotten these out this quickly. Let's hope that I can continue to do so or at least not so far apart like they were. Thanks guys.

 **Luckyinugirl:** I'm hoping you will love this chapter, got to love seeing new reviewers.

 **Arianna Le Fay:** I can't either, considering I have an itch about that, my fingers want to write it so bad.

 **Melyway:** Thanks~ I hope you will love this one as well.

 **Chapter Seventeen**

The group has stopped to rest for a few minutes and saw the huge explosion in the hills at a somewhat distance from them. "Wh-what was that?" Hinata asks.

"Let's go!" Naruto says as she felt her heart hurting a little.

~3~

Naruto and her group join the others, "Naruto!" Sakura says as soon as she saw her teammate.

"Looks like everyone else noticed, too," Yamato tells the girls.

"What happened here?!" Naruto asks as they get closer.

"Sasuke was right here until a moment ago, we followed his scent!" Sakura says as everyone gets closer, making Naruto's eyes widen as they fill with pain.

"There are still traces of it left, as well as a bunch of other people's scents," Kiba says as he is still steadily breathing in the scents around him.

"So what does that mean for us?" Naruto asked as she still doesn't know much about scents even though she hangs around foxes all the time.

"The damage to the surroundings indicates there was a battle, but…" Shino stops himself as he was worried about what Naruto would do if he completed the sentence.

"I recognize one of these other scents mixed with Sasuke; I smelled it back in the town!" One of the dogs that are with Sakura says.

"Huh?" Sakura says as she looks down at him.

"It looks like Sasuke's travelling with a few people. He's got companions," the dog tells everyone.

"That means…" Sakura stops as she tries to remember the people that she passed by in the town.

"Sasuke's probably formed his own platoon. Two of these six other scents are Akatsuki, but…" Kakashi stops and looks over at Naruto.

"Then what're we waiting for?! Let's follow Sasuke's scent!" She shouts at them.

"We can't, unfortunately," Pakkun says as he looks at the girl with sad eyes.

"Huh?! Why not?" Naruto says as her heart breaks at the way this conversation is heading. Kiba meanwhile is boosting his Chakra so his scent amplifies.

"The trail ends here," Kakashi tells her.

"What do you mean, it ends?!" Naruto demands.

"One possibility is that he was obliterated by the huge explosion, but he could have also used a space/time Ninjutsu to teleport himself somewhere safe," Yamato tells her.

"Looks like it's the latter," Kiba tells the girl who suddenly has a hint of joy fill her eyes. "Nowadays, my nose is even better than a Ninja hound's. I found Sasuke."

 _'Even better than a Ninja hound's, Kiba's improved too, the Inuzuka clan must be proud,'_ Kakashi thought as he stared at the young man.

"Lead the way, Kiba!" Naruto shouts at her friend.

~3~

The whole group is rushing through the trees when Naruto starts running besides Kiba with her two foxes smiling at Akamaru. "How's it coming, Kiba?!" She asks him.

"I need to focus as hard as I can to not lose what little scent there is! Shut up and let me concentrate!" He shouts at her over his shoulder. As they continued on further towards Sasuke, Kiba's eyes widen.

"What's wrong, Kiba?" Naruto asks.

"We're in trouble! Sasuke's on the move!" He tells her.

"We gotta hurry! He's probably going straight for Itachi!" Naruto tells him.

"Easy! Something's not quite right!" He tells her making her look at him with worry. "Sasuke's scent just split up! It's going all over the place in a lot of different directions!"

"They must've noticed us and came up with a plan to fool our senses," Kakashi tells them.

"How could they possibly have…?" Sakura stops as she is too confused.

"I have no idea, my guess would be they have an extremely talented Chakra-sensing type Shinobi on their side," Kakashi suggests.

"If we split up too far our radios won't work! And I'm the only one that can track him, which scent am I supposed to go with!" Kiba wonders as he looks back at the rest of the group, making Naruto think hard until one of her foxes nudges her and she winks at her mistress who nods.

"Our only shot is to look everywhere at once, there's no time to think!" Naruto says as she quickly forms signs creating a bunch of clones and sending them in every direction that the scent is coming from.

~3~

One of her clones is alerted by a sound, making her quickly hide behind a tree. She looked around it to see the Sharingan filled eyes. _'Sharingan! Sasuke!'_ She stops at that thought as Itachi reveals himself to her. _'Uchiha…Itachi!'_

"Show yourself, Uzumaki Naruto," he tells her as he looks towards the tree that she's hiding behind. She comes out looking a little apprehensive.

"Finally gonna try and capture me?" She asks.

"No, I merely want to talk with you," he tells her and two clones jump out and attack him, making him slide a couple of Kunai out of his sleeves, throwing them at the clones, making them disappear.

"Like I'm gonna fall for that," Naruto tells him as she tries to avoid his eyes. _'When you're 1-on-1 against the Sharingan, your only hope is to escape. If its 2-on-1 you attack from behind,'_ Naruto thought as she grit her teeth remembering what Lady Chiyo taught her. _'But he can cast Genjutsu just by pointing the same finger he uses to make seals; I have to be extremely careful here!'_

"I see you've learned a little about fighting the Sharingan," he says as he felt proud of her. "You must know what to do when you're alone. Why aren't you running?" He asks and she snickers at him.

"Because with me, my numbers can be anywhere from 1 to 1000! And I can't afford to run this time, I've gotta capture you so I can find Sasuke!" She tells him.

"What is it about my brother that makes you care about him so much? He's a rogue Ninja who abandoned you and your kids," he wonders out loud.

"Because I love him with everything inside of me, and he didn't abandon the twins since he doesn't even know they exist. I grew up with him mocking me and trying to stay ahead of me until we graduated and then he found out about my secret and he has since proven that he shares the same feelings for me as I do him," she tells him as her eyes hold determination. "I know at the end he showed us all that he doesn't care for anyone but me, but still…I want to save him, from himself even." As she talks, Itachi's lips quirk up just a tiny bit as he now realizes this girl is always telling him the truth. She then starts to rush at him, making him lift his cape up and release all of the black crows from it, shocking the girl and stopping her in her tracks. She stares at him with widened eyes as she notices a crow with the Sharingan.

 **"You are already trapped in my illusion,"** __he tells her.

"Fuck," she grits out as she watches Itachi's body slowly detaching from itself with multiple crows.

 **"I'll say it once more, I only wish to talk to you,"** he tells her as she stares at him with a dropped jaw.

"Wh-why?" Naruto grits out as she stares back at him. "You're after me, aren't you? Then fight me now!"

"I have to leave you, for now," he tells her. "I've got a very important matter to deal with," he disappears with the crows flying off.

 _'A shadow clone!'_ She stares at the place he was standing.

~3~

Sasuke is slowly walking into the cave and comes around the corner to see a figure standing there. "You're here," the male says to him.

"Who are you?" Sasuke wonders as he stops and tries to see his features.

"It's me, Sasuke," Itachi says as he opens his eyes to stare into his brothers whose immediately activates the Sharingan. "Did you get a little taller?"

"You haven't changed a bit. Especially those cold, merciless eyes," Sasuke tells him.

"Aren't you going to scream out and charge straight at me, like last time?" He asks his brother as him and the crow on his shoulder stared back at the younger man who hmph's him, making him stare at him in shock.

"You know nothing about me," Sasuke tells him and Itachi's eyes quickly follow his movements as Sasuke zips behind him with Chidori activated. He quickly extends it out spears him with the Chidori Katana. "How much hate has filled and enveloped my heart, how much stronger I've grown because of it, you know nothing." When Sasuke spreads his fingers wide, there appeared to be lightning spears sticking out everywhere on Itachi's body. Itachi's body lands heavily onto the cave floor, blood trickling down his chin.

"You've gotten much stronger," he tells Sasuke as he stares at him, making Sasuke's eyes widen as his body bursts apart into a thousand crows. "Come to the Uchiha's hideout, alone. We'll end this there. Oh, and Sasuke, I'll tell you my most prized secret when you get there."

~3~

Naruto freezes when she saw Sasuke and his team coming straight towards her. "Sasuke!" She shouts and the clone is stabbed with a Chidori covered hand.

~3~

When the clone returns to the real form, her eyes narrow as she knows how the clone died. "I found him!" She says with a low growl in her voice.

"Way to go, Naruto! Which way?" Kiba asks her and she lands on a thick branch.

"Follow me!" She shouts at them and builds up enough Chakra to shoot her into Sasuke's direction. _'You're not getting away this time, Sasuke,'_ she grits her teeth as a bit of pink infiltrates her eyes.

~3~

Sasuke and his group sped through a deserted town along the roof tops. Karin's eyes widen as she felt this enormous Chakra heading their way. "Oh my God, there's an incredible Chakra! And fast! It's coming our way!" She shouts at the others warning them before they stopped when they saw the figure in front of them.

"You're…!" Suigetsu says as he stares back at Kisame, one of his elders that he used to idolize. Sasuke's eyes activated the Sharingan as he stares back at the man.

"Sasuke, if you would, please continue on by yourself," Kisame tells his partners younger brother. "Itachi would prefer if the rest of us waited here.

"No problem, I only formed this team to make sure no one would interfere when I finally found him. This works out perfectly," Sasuke tells him.

"That's crazy, Sasuke! We should kick this guy's butt and fight Itachi together!" Karin shouts at him, irritated that he wouldn't even give that an option.

"I'm really not in the mood for another fight, but if you insist on passing together, I won't go easy on any of you," Kisame says as he grins.

"Don't even think about it, Karin. You three wait here, this is my revenge," Sasuke tells them, not even looking back at the three. Karin glares back, hating not being included into Sasuke's revenge. She watches as Sasuke takes off, jumping past Kisame without an issue as the male looks back at the small group.

~3~

When Sasuke arrives in the abandoned hideout that the Uchiha's used to control, he saw Itachi sitting on the throne where the head of the clan normally would sit. "What do you see with your Sharingan?" Itachi asks his little brother as he calmly sat there, staring back at him.

~3~

Naruto and the others stopped as they saw Tobi sitting on one of the jutting roots from one of the huge tress in the area. "Wow, I didn't think I'd find a bunch of Leaf Ninja way out here, and its 8-on-1 that's so not fair!" He complains in his happy go lucky voice.

"That cloak, he's an Akatsuki!" Yamato says as he stares up at the male.

"He's not on the list of Akatsuki that Kabuto left behind," Kakashi tells his junior as he stares at the male, impassively.

"Oh, that's because I'm new to the company. Nice to meet you!" Tobi waves at them.

"Hah! Don't start acting cocky yet, we haven't even started!" Kiba shouts at him as Akamaru barks.

"Don't make any sudden moves, jut observe him, for now. He's severely outnumbered and we've got the advantage," Kakashi tells them.

"You're not taking me seriously? Not cool!" He whines at them.

 _'So this is 'Akatsuki','_ Shino thinks as he observes their new opponent.

 _'Another freak, why does this happen every time we try to find Sasuke?'_ Sakura complains in her head as Naruto smiles up at the man, shocking Tobi who doesn't see the clone behind him as she wields a Rasengan.

"Get out of the way!" She shouts at him.

"Kage Bunshin!?" Tobi says with a shocked tone and grunts out as she hits him with the ball of Chakra, until her whole entire body goes straight through him. "Not!" He says as he stares at the girl who grits her teeth at him.

~3~

"What do I see, Itachi? With the power I've gained, I see one thing that is crystal clear," Sasuke says as he walks closer to the sitting male as they stare at each other with their Sharingan's activated. "I see you dead."

~3~

Naruto angrily tries to attack Tobi who ends up taunting the girl. "You're too full of yourself! What's a kid like you gonna do to me?" He kicks the girl on her cheek and watches as a clone catches her which made her grunt as the clone disappeared. Hinata's eyes widen as she watches the whole altercation.

"Naruto-chan!" She panics as her best friend lands in the water.

"Relax; it'll take more than that to stop Naruto! You just keep your eyes on the enemy, Hinata!" Sakura tells her as she stares up at Tobi.

"He saw through all of Naruto's Jutsu," Yamato states.

"It's like he's just messing around, but why?" Kakashi wonders as he stares at the man that irks him so much because he feels like he's met him before.

"Hmm, maybe now's a good time?" Tobi asks as he stares down at them. Suddenly, a huge splash exploded in the water and when the water droplets revealed a wet Naruto who now looks furious.

"Naruto-chan!" Hinata calls out to her friend. _'Thank goodness,'_ she smiles as she sighs in relief.

"What kind of game should we play now, Leaf peoples?" Tobi wonders.

"We don't have time to screw around with you," Naruto tells him as she stares up at him.

"Damn straight!" Sakura adds her two cents.

"Why? Because we need to stay right on Sasuke's trail," Shino says in his own quiet way.

"You weren't with us last time, Shino! You'd better work twice as hard!" Kiba tells his friend as Akamaru lets out a loud but deep bark.

"More bonds?" Sai wonders as he watches the others.

"Alright, everyone, let's take this joker down," Kakashi says as he doesn't take his eye off of the man.

"Get in formation B and attack," Yamato orders everyone and you could hear multiple affirmatives as they all spread out.

~3~

As Sasuke stares up at his brother, Itachi blinks his eyes. "You see me…dead?" He repeats what the younger male said. "Well then," he pauses and disappears behind Sasuke. "Let's see how good your eyesight is," he smirks and Sasuke spins around blocking Itachi's hand that now holds a Kunai, coming straight for his head. Itachi swings his Kunai yet again and Sasuke takes his sword out with his other hand that isn't trying to block the attacks. Sasuke used his blade to block the Kunai and stares dead into Itachi's eyes as he grabs his arm. Bringing his body up higher he brings his foot up past the blade, kicking Sasuke right in his face, making him slide on his feet as he almost loses his balance. Sasuke brings his sword up, for a straight shot, trying to run it through his brother who is now jumping right over him. Itachi lands and grabs the back of Sasuke's cloak, pulling him over him and slamming him into the concrete that they are fighting each other on. Sasuke slides and quickly looks back up at his brother as he quickly started making signs, activating the Chidori. He stares back at his elder brother before he starts running to attack his brother. As he runs by his sword that is still embedded into the ground, he grabs it and hits the concrete with a Chidori Nagashi, smirking up at his brother. The lightning attack shoots across the ground, towards Itachi, surprising the older male until he decides to jump to avoid the attack. Itachi's eyes widen as Sasuke looks back at him, a grin on his lips. Itachi was impaled onto the sword of Sasuke's not being able to move as they both drop to the ground, sliding across the ground. "You've gotten…much stronger," Itachi tells him as he stares up at his little brother.

"This is the end, Itachi, but before I kill you, I have one last question," Sasuke says as he holds the blade still in his brother's chest. Itachi raises his hand up and looked like he was going to poke his brother's head like he always does until he points over at the side, towards the throne, showing Itachi sitting there staring back at him. Sasuke's eyes widens and he looks back down at the form of the one he ran his sword through and saw crows coming out of him, revealing the Genjutsu that he used. "Just like last time, making crows with your little Genjutsu while saying the exact same line," Sasuke tells him as he turns his eyes back to the sitting form of his brother.

"The end is a long way off, but I'm willing to listen. What do you want to know?" Itachi asked.

"Have you gone deaf?" Sasuke asked and suddenly a sword comes out of Itachi's chest from behind him, shocking the man. Behind the throne stood Sasuke, holding the sword as his brother grunts out, watching as Sasuke's body dissolves into a bunch of snakes that hit the ground.

"Genjutsu," Itachi grunts out.

"I said that this is the end, you piece of shit. But I want to ask you one last question," Sasuke grits out as his mind starts remembering what Itachi told him after he slaughtered everyone of their clan. "You will answer me this one question. Until you do, your pain will not end."

"So you…avoided my vitals on purpose," Itachi mused.

"The third one, that other Sharingan user, that other Uchiha, who is it?" Sasuke asked and Itachi closes his eyes.

"Why…do you ask me this?" He asks his little brother.

"Once I'm through with you, I will kill him next," Sasuke tells him.

"Kill him?" Itachi asked and smirks at him. "He's not the only Uchiha left, you know."

"On the night you slaughtered the entire Uchiha clan, you saw fit to mention this one other person, an Uchiha you did not kill, your accomplice," Sasuke says, making Itachi smirk. "No matter how strong you were, you still could never have taken on the entire police force on your own."

"So, you realized that," Itachi muses, noticing that Sasuke didn't pay attention to what he said earlier.

"Who is he?" Sasuke asked.

"Uchiha Madara," Itachi said as he keeps a smirk on his lips as Sasuke remembers what the Kyuubi told him. "He is one of the founding fathers of Konoha, the first man to ever awaken Mangekyou Sharingan," Itachi says.

"A founder? Then this Madara should be long dead. Don't fuck around with me!" Sasuke shouts at him.

"Madara lives still, whether you believe me or not is your own choice," Itachi calmly tells him.

"Cut the crap!" Sasuke grits out.

"All people live relying on their knowledge and perception, and are thus bound to them. Those boundaries are what they tend to accept as 'reality'. However, knowledge and perception are both ambiguous, so 'reality' could be nothing more than an illusion. People live trapped by their limited perception, do you see?" Itachi asked him.

"Where are you going with this?" Sasuke asked and Itachi smirks again.

"To say that Madara is dead is the trapping of your own limited perspective," he tells him as he looks over his shoulder. "In the same way that you fooled yourself in believing that I was a caring older brother." Sasuke then remembers when he was younger at how close he and his brother were. The image of his parents laying on the ground, his father on top of his mother like he was protecting her shot through his mind.

"What I saw that night, I thought it must have been just an illusion. I wanted to believe that I had stumbled into a terrible Genjutsu," Sasuke says. "But I hadn't! I know it was the terrible reality!" Sasuke growls out and shoots a bolt of electricity behind him, hitting the wall behind Itachi's head. "My eyes are not as blind as they once were! My Sharingan can see through all of your Genjutsu!"

"Hmph, I see you are still as noisy as before. Although, I'll grant that your words may be true this time," Itachi says as he sits calmly in his throne behind Sasuke.

"I've had enough of your charades," Sasuke tells him as the other clone dissolves again, Chidori still running through his hand, releasing it slowly, making the electricity disappear.

"Even then, Sasuke, you still do not possess the same eyes as I do," he taunts the younger male.

"Hmph, then go ahead and try to kill me with your Mangekyou Sharingan! Or have I long surpassed your so called 'capacity'," Sasuke says as he smirks at him.

"You seem full of confidence," Itachi says as a face appears in the walls.

 _'They haven't even started yet. They're still at throwing Genjutsu at each other,'_ the form thinks as he continues to watch the brothers, Itachi stands up staring at his brother.

"Mangekyou Sharingan, this eye is quite unique," Itachi tells him. "The day it is awakened, it begins its slow descent into darkness, the more often it is summoned, the faster the decline."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asks a confused look on his face.

"The Kaleidoscope will in time lose its light," Itachi says as the markings in his eyes start to widen.

"Blindness, that is the price you have to pay to control the Kyuubi," Sasuke says.

"Hmph, so you did read the inscription in the shrine after all," Itachi says as he starts walking down the small slope of stairs.

"Madara, who is he really?" Sasuke asks.

"He is the first man to ever use those eyes to control the Kyuubi," Itachi says as his Mangekyou activates. "He is my accomplice and my mentor," he steps closer. "He is the only man to have discovered the final secret of the Mangekyou Sharingan. He is the immortal, Uchiha Madara."


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain anything from making stories about them.

 **A/N:** I've actually slowed down this week, but it's mostly because of not feeling good not counting I had to go through 15 chapters to find enough to fill this one. I hope you all love this and stay patient for the next chapter.

 **Luckyinugirl:** I'm portraying him as being a more caring guy than he is willing to let others see.

 **Melyway:** No, I'm not going to do much on the history lessons, just more on action and secrets.

 **Chapter Eighteen**

"Uchiha Madara, the other secret…of the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Sasuke looked at his older brother. "You're trying to say it has another secret, beyond the power to tame the Kyuubi?" Itachi stays quiet as he listens to his brother's questions.

"Indeed, there is one more secret, the most important secret of all," Itachi says as he continues to stare into his eyes with Mangekyou still activated.

"An important secret? What is it?" The younger male asked as Itachi is barely able to see his brother's face. "What is it? Answer me."

"Let us take a look into the past for a moment. This tale relates directly to the history of the Uchiha," Itachi tells him as Sasuke's impatience makes him look away. Itachi then gave him the entire history of the Uchiha clan, and how Madara gained the Ultimate Mangekyou Sharingan. "Madara is nothing more than a failure. He is not the one who shall fulfill the potential of the Uchiha clan. The one who shall surpass him, the one who shall fulfill the true potential of the Uchiha clan…is me. Right now! I have before me the means to obtain that forever, the power that will allow me to surpass Madara! Sasuke! You are to be my new light!" He shouts loudly as his face now holds a manic look, making his little brother reel back. "You are my 'spare'!" Itachi says as his warrior appears behind him. "To obtain the power of the Mangekyou, an Uchiha must kill his friend, and to secure that power for eternity, he must kill his kinsman!" The soldier is now wrapping tendrils around Sasuke's body. "Forever flaunting its power, this clan has rotted from within! And from the very moment you were born into that clan you too have always been entangled in its bloody face!" The tendrils start to reach out for Sasuke's eyes. "Come, now! Dear brother! I shall kill you here and now, escape from the fate of my clan, and finally achieve true transfiguration! I shall cast off my bonds; escape my own 'capacity'! You are my 'spare', and I am yours! As brothers of the Uchiha, that is our bond!" Sasuke calmed himself down and rid himself of the Genjutsu his brother was using against him, pulling his bandage off along with his cape and casting them to the side. "It would seem that you have now fully witnessed what lies within me."

"So that's what this was all about," Sasuke says as he closes his eyes. "Finally, the time has come. It's time to end this once and for all."

"Perhaps you have seen my death with your eyes, but I have the Mangekyou Sharingan, and you do not," Itachi tells him and starts bringing his arm through his cloaks sleeve. "You don't stand a chance. Your life's dream will remain as is, all the way to the end." He watches as his little brother unravels the bandages on his arms, revealing the bands that hold seals on the wrists.

"You can use your eyes on me over and over again, but my hatred for you, will make my dream a reality," Sasuke says as he glares at his brother. "Reality that ends with your death," they both continue to stare at each other until Sasuke uses the seals and brings out Shuriken, throwing them, making Itachi throw his own, clanging as they hit.

Then, the next few minutes were spent with the two throwing Shuriken madly at each other; with only the sound of the metal hitting off of each other. Finally, they gave up throwing their stars and starts hitting each other, the other grabbing their brothers' arm, halting their attacks. Suddenly, Itachi's clone appears behind him and holds three Kunai in his hands. _'Damn, he still managed to make a Kage Bunshin during all that?'_ Sasuke thought as he stared at him in shock as the clone throws the Kunai. The mark on Sasuke's neck erupts and a snake pops out, shielding him from the projectiles as it wraps around the young man's body. Itachi stares along with his clone as the snake unwraps from his brother, revealing him holding and spinning a huge Shuriken that he throws at him. Itachi blocks the Shuriken with a Kunai as Sasuke activates his Chidori, watching as the Shuriken slices through the clone.

"Chidori!" Itachi's clone says as he winces and disappears in a burst of crows. They fly all around until Itachi quickly winds up with his face directly in front of Sasuke's. He kicks his foot out and knocks Sasuke back a good bit with a grunt, making him hit the wall, cracking and crumbling it partially. Before Sasuke could focus his Chidori on his brother, Itachi grabs the hand that holds the charge and presses it against the wall. Stepping on Sasuke's foot, he slams his fist into his stomach, wrenching a grunt from the young male. Sasuke starts coughing as Itachi brings the arm up behind his brothers' head and starts reaching for his eyes. "I'm sorry, Sasuke. This is my reality; the light will not leave my world." He starts digging his fingers into the optic area around the eyeball, making Sasuke scream out in pain. "I warned you, without the Mangekyou Sharingan, you don't stand a chance against me," he says as his now dripping hand is held up with the eye in his grasp. The form that was spying on them is shocked as he watches the younger Uchiha start coughing as he stares at the blood that is now on his hand. "Now for the other one," Itachi says and Sasuke grunts out as he activates the curse mark, surprising his brother who is now watching as a hand shaped wing knocks him back a few feet. As Itachi stares back at his brother, he takes a container out of his sleeve and sticks the eyeball inside of it. "This is the gap between our powers," he says as he screws the container shut. "And the gap between our eyes," he says as he now stands behind Sasuke, shocking the man as he quickly brings his arm around the younger males neck as the real form of Itachi approaches slowly.

As his hand slowly gets closer to his eye, Sasuke fully covers his body with the curse, the eye having waves of it entering it. Now that he is transformed, Itachi finds it difficult to extract the last eye, even as his brother is screaming out in pain. Suddenly, everything is frozen and Itachi's reality is shattered, letting him know that everything is breaking apart and the Doujutsu doesn't even fully complete.

 _'I didn't think it'd be that quick…Oh well, Itachi wins,'_ one of the figures personalities says.

 _ **'He does?'**_ The darker side asks.

 _'Well, yeah. Sasuke just ate a Tsukuyomi. He won't be able to move anymore, you'll be snacking on him in no time,'_ the light side says and ends up becoming shocked as Itachi falls to his knees, holding his eye. _'Wha?'_

"My Tsukuyomi…you," Itachi stops talking as he watches his younger brother start to stand up.

 _'Whaaaaa? How is Sasuke not collapsed on the ground? He just got hit with Tsukuyomi!'_ The light side says confused at what was going on.

 _ **'No, he didn't get hit. He-he overcame it,'**_ the dark side states as he stares at the young man who is now sporting a smirk on his lips. One that is so familiar for the young man.

 _'He did? How could someone with a regular Sharingan beat someone with the Mangekyou?!'_ The light side demanded an answer.

 _ **'The Sharingan is just another Shinobi tool. A tool is only as powerful as the Shinobi who uses it,'**_ the dark side tells him as he doesn't take his eyes off of the man. _**'An expert with a stone can still beat a novice with a Shuriken. All he needs is more skill and more power. So basically, Itachi underestimated Sasuke's potential.'**_

"I told you, you can use your eyes on me over and over again, but my hatred for you will make my dream into reality," Sasuke tells Itachi.

"Hmph, make an illusion real?" Itachi asks as he struggles to his feet. "Fair enough, then I say the same thing to you," he stares back at his beloved little brother. "During my Tsukuyomi, you saw an illusion of me ripping your eyes out of their sockets. I will make that 'dream' a reality," Itachi said as Sasuke's brow furrows.

 _'The air around Itachi's changing,'_ the light side says.

 _ **'Looks like he's finally taking him seriously, that means…we might actually get to see 'Amaterasu','**_ the dark side says.

 _'Amaterasu?! Wow, that'll be a sight to see! Coming here turned out to be the right choice after all!'_ He thought as he watches Itachi closing his left eye and forming signs while staring back at his little brother.

 _ **'Looks like illusions won't be enough to end this. By overdoing Tsukuyomi, Sasuke made all further Genjutsu use pointless,'**_ the dark side says as they watched Itachi switched from his left side being closed to his right, showing the Sharingan in his eyes as he stares at Sasuke.

 _'Meaning it's time for a straight-up fight!'_ The light says.

 _ **'If the left Mangekyou possesses the most powerful Genjutsu, then the right holds the most powerful physical attack,'**_ the dark thought. _**''Amaterasu' burns anything that enters the eye's field of vision to unleash an unholy black flame, or so I hear.'**_ Suddenly, Itachi quickly crouches while creating signs.

 _'Here it comes!'_ The light side says as Sasuke quickly summons another huge Shuriken. _'What speed, he's trying to stop him from making the seals!'_ Sasuke quickly throws the Shuriken, shocking Itachi as it heads straight towards him. Itachi ducks down to avoid the spinning star then realizes that there's another in the Shadow of the higher one. _'That's the Shadow Shuriken technique!'_ Sasuke activates the Chidori in his hands again as Itachi pushes himself to jump through the two stars so that they would miss him completely. Sasuke glares back at his brother as he pulls on some strings that are attached to the higher one.

 _'He rigged the Shuriken?!'_ Itachi's eyes widens as the blades detach from the Shuriken and a blade is quickly speeding towards the older male. The blade stabs into its target as the others embed into the walls.

 _'My last Shuriken attack, but I finally got him,'_ Sasuke thought as he smirks and snaps the strings from around his wrist. Itachi ends up yanking the blade out of his leg, groaning as he does.

 _'Strange, what? It's just, Itachi should've been able to dodge that easily,'_ the light side thought as he continues to observe. Itachi strains his eyes as he is starting to lose his vision of his little brother, making him quickly cover his left eye.

"Tsukuyomi causing some side effects? Does it feel good?" Sasuke taunts and chuckles as he watches his brother.

 _'The second he escaped Tsukuyomi, Sasuke gained the edge in this fight, and Itachi's reflexes are much worse than usual. Sasuke might actually pull this off,'_ the light side observes more.

 _ **'Slow down, it isn't over 'till it's over,'**_ the dark side thought as Sasuke's hands quickly sped through the signs, creating a fire Jutsu, he shoots a Grand Fireball towards his brother. Itachi, still struggling with his waning vision, he quickly jumps out of the way, not noticing that Sasuke has already formed a Chidori and is waiting for him above him. When Sasuke hit Itachi, he knocks him out of the roof where Itachi shoots his own fire Jutsu at him, making Sasuke block with his hand like wing.

 _'Little burns like this won't stop me,'_ Sasuke thought as he sighs in relief that he was able to block the attack.

 _'Yikes, almost got roasted myself,'_ the light being thought as he watches the two start to quickly form signs, creating the grand fireball Jutsu and using it against each other. Starting off, it looked like they were even, but then Sasuke's Jutsu started to slowly overcome Itachi's. _'Sasuke's pushing Itachi's flame back! I knew it, he's gonna…'_ The light form stops his thought as he watched the older male shoot his black flames all over Sasuke. Before the flames could hit Sasuke, he creates little fire balls to deter them, making Itachi stop his Doujutsu. _'H-holy smokes, he smothered flame with flame!'_

 _ **'It burns whatever the eye focuses on; the black flames will converge on exactly that spot. Then they continue to burn until their target is completely eradicated, even if the target is flame itself,'**_ the dark side thinks as he watches Sasuke moving out of the way of the flames and Itachi activating his Doujutsu yet again. As the flames keep on chasing Sasuke down, he starts moving quickly with his wing, but not fast enough as the black flames start to engulf his wing. He slides across the roof, grunting as the black flames start to spread all over his back. The flames were hitting the trees and grass that were growing on the roof as well, causing a wide spread area that is bursting with the flames. Itachi stops his Doujutsu again and starts to walk over to his brother who is now lying still on the roof.

 _'See? Itachi won!'_ The light side says.

 _ **'He stopped 'Amaterasu' to protect Sasuke's eyes, eh,'**_ the dark side watches on as Itachi bends down to take Sasuke's eyes but before he could the skin hits the roof with a splat and liquefies as it goes down, revealing a huge crack in the concrete. Sasuke is staring up at the crack. _**'Below!?'**_

 _'Little burns like these won't be enough to stop me,'_ Sasuke thought as he smirks. He starts activating the curse seal as he stares up at the crack. _'He's right where I want him,'_ he thought as he quickly forms seals while Itachi is up on the roof coughing up a storm. Sasuke shoots a Katon: Gouryuuka no Jutsu up into ceiling, making the roof start to shake as it bursts through it. Itachi had to jump aside and roll across the ceiling before he noticed that more of the Jutsu is coming through the ceiling, making him continue to move to dodge it. The second blast started to engulf his arm, causing him to grunt out from the pain. As the ceiling starts to crumble, the figure had to continue to keep on the move so that he didn't end up in pieces in the debris. Itachi ends up hitting his knee as he holds his hand to his now burnt arm, the sight in his right eye completely vanishes, making the Sharingan disappear in that eye. Sasuke stares up at his elder brother still transformed. "I see that second 'Amaterasu' took a lot out of you," Sasuke says as he pants before he groans and kneels.

 _'They both look exhausted. Shouldn't they be out of Chakra by now?'_ The light thinks.

 _ **'Looks like it,'**_ the dark thought back as they watch the two brothers. Sasuke draws back the curse as he pants.

"This will probably be my final Jutsu," Sasuke tells his brother as he smiles.

"Remember, the Sharingan can see Chakra," Itachi tells him as he kneels down on the roof above. "Drop the act, I already know you're all out. The replacement you used to dodge my 'Amaterasu' was a move straight from Orochimaru's repertoire. Although it's extremely difficult to detect, it also consumes a massive amount of Chakra."

 _'Oh yeah, Sasuke absorbed Orochimaru!'_ The light thought.

 _ **'So that's it,'**_ the dark side said.

"I won't deny that I'm out of Chakra, I used everything I had left for that fire Jutsu," Sasuke admits as rain starts. "But, don't tell me you think I came here to kill you without preparing first?" He says as he smirks at his brother. "It'll be over in an instant. This Jutsu is like 'Amaterasu', impossible to avoid. It's time to reproduce what I saw earlier, the vision of your death."


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto and I do not gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** I wonder what you all think about the fight, but know that the ending will be a little different than it was in the Manga.

 **Kyuubinokutsune1995:** I'm glad I can give you new stories to feed your needs, though this one will probably take a good bit to finish up, I hope you enjoy the journey until the end.

 **Melyway:** Yup, one of the best fights in the anime.

 **Chapter Nineteen**

 _'Completely unavoidable, just like Amaterasu?!'_ The light side thought as they watched the two through the downpour. _'What could it possibly be?'_ He wondered as Sasuke keeps staring at the clouds in the sky, which brings the others to it as well. The lightning starts seeming to become a beast inside of the clouds as they stared on before Itachi looks down at his brother, silently evaluating him.

 _ **'Aah ha! So that last fire blast was to set this up?'**_ The dark side tells the light.

 _'What do you mean?'_ The light asks.

 _ **'Those fire dragons only missed Itachi because they weren't aimed at him!'**_ The dark states.

 _'Okay, but what does that mean?'_ The light asks.

 _ **'It means that he blasted open the ceiling on purpose, to rapidly warm up the atmosphere above and generate a powerful rising air current, to create cumulonimbus, better known as thunder clouds!'**_ The dark tells him as the thunder goes haywire.

 _'Seriously, I don't get it. What does all-'_ the light side stops when he is interrupted.

 _ **'Instead of using his own Chakra for energy, he's going to channel an enormous surge from the sky, and use it for a lightning-element Jutsu!'**_ Dark thought as they watch Chidori activate on Sasuke's left hand.

 _'How's he gonna-'_ Light thought and was interrupted again.

 _ **'At any rate, it's gonna be on a completely different scale from what humans can normally produce with their own Chakra and nature manipulation!'**_ Dark thought as Sasuke crouches down while his brother watches before he jumps up to the tallest place in the palace. The thunder was striking widely in areas that are picked at a random, shocking everyone. _**'Ahh, he ran outside to try and take advantage of Amaterasu's heat, too'**_

"This Jutsu's power source is lightning from Heaven itself. All I have to do is guide it straight through your skull," Sasuke tells his brother.

 _ **'So he wasn't bluffing, there won't be any dodging that,'**_ the dark side thought.

 _'Why not?!'_ Light asked.

 _ **'Lightning can reach the ground a 1/1000 of a second. It's hundreds of times faster than the speed of sound!'**_ Dark explained.

"I call this technique 'Kirin'," Sasuke says as he raises his hand up while the others stare on as the lightning is crackling.

 _'Wh-what's happening?'_ Light asks

 _ **'I think Sasuke just took control of the lightning,'**_ the dark thought as the lightning took a form of a giant beast.

"Disappear with the thunder," Sasuke says as he brings his hand down, directing the lightning to his brother, making it strike down. As it hit the explosion shoots out walls and rocks from the palace as it is blown to pieces. Just to protect themselves the being brings up their plant like appendage that covers them completely. They don't uncover until they don't hear any more crackling.

 _ **'Such power,'**_ dark thought as he peeks from his cover. They all notice that Itachi's lying down amongst the debris of the building.

 _'Is Itachi…dead?'_ Light asks.

"Over," Sasuke thought as he deactivates the Sharingan while he is panting. "It's all over, I did it!" It starts to rain down, hitting him lightly on his arms.

"Was that what you saw, in your vision of my death?" Itachi asked as he grunted and started to raise his body up off of the ground, shocking Sasuke. Sasuke grits his teeth in anger as he lets the curse seal cover his entire body, transforming him completely.

"God damn you!" He shouts at Itachi.

 _ **'What…'**_ The dark side stops as everyone saw the skeletal form covering Itachi like a guardian beast.

"If I hadn't used this, I would've been obliterated," Itachi says as he smirks.

 _ **'What is that?'**_ Dark asked.

"Sasuke, you've become strong, very strong," he tells him as he looks down at his brother. "Behold the last weapon in my arsenal, 'Susano'o'."

"Su…sano'o?" Sasuke asks.

"The third and final technique, along with Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu, that awoke within these eyes on that fateful day," Itachi tells him as he could barely see his brother crouching in ready. "Sasuke, are you finally out of techniques? If you've got any more moves up your sleeve, I suggest you stop trying to save them. The true fight begins now." He says as the clouds part just to show light as it beams down, brightening the area around them.

 _'The sky's clearing,'_ the light states.

 _ **'Looks like that lightning Jutsu was only good for one shot,'**_ the dark tells him as the beast starts gaining more to its form, showing ligaments and muscles as they are forming.

 _'Eh…uh…what is that?'_ The light asks and Sasuke's eyes widen as a cloak forms on the beast.

 _'I can give you what you want,'_ a voice says inside of Sasuke's head as his left eye turns serpentine. _'Shall I lend you my power?'_

"Shit…no…" Sasuke grunts out as he hugs his arms to himself.

 _'Admit it, Sasuke, you need me,'_ the voice says as Sasuke falls to the ground. _'You do want your revenge on Itachi, don't you?'_ He says as Sasuke grunts out. _'Come, unleash me, and your wish will be granted.'_ Suddenly, a big blob starts to come out from the curse mark on his shoulder, drawing cries from his lips as Itachi barely is able to watch what is happening. The blob started forming into what could be called a hydra of sorts, hissing out at Itachi.

"I know this feeling, Orochimaru's Hydra technique," Itachi says.

 _'N-now what?!'_ The light says.

 _ **'Sasuke tried to forcibly draw out more Chakra even though he has none left. So now, with nothing to hold it back, Orochimaru's Chakra has broken free!'**_ The dark explained as they watched the two hulking forms advance on each other. One of the snake heads charges Itachi's Susano'o while it brought up its arm that is now holding a gourd. The head that attacked is now severed from the hulk that is now sporting a sword. Three more heads attacked, wrapping around the hulk that ends up severing those heads as well. The only head left opened its mouth wide, revealing a form inside of it.

"You finally show yourself," Itachi smirks.

 _'Aah! That's-'_ the light stops what he was going to think as they continue to watch as Orochimaru bursts up with a laugh before he ends up regurgitating his sword. _'Always with the barfing stuff and the coming out of snake mouths, he grosses me out.'_

 _ **'The snake connection is no coincidence, he's as persistent as a king cobra,'**_ the dark side thought.

"Here and now! The chance I've been waiting for has finally come! And it's all thanks to you forcing Sasuke to expend the Chakra he used to keep me suppressed! I'll take his body for my own, and defeat…" Suddenly, a sword pierces through his chest. "…you?"

"Alright, Sasuke. Got anything else?" Itachi asks.

"You don't really think a little cut like this will be enough to stop me…" Orochimaru says laughing hard until his form starts to be absorbed by the sword. "Th-this…it can't be…the sword of Totsuka?! Itachi, you had it all along?" Orochimaru grits out as he gets absorbed.

 _ **'No wonder, no matter where he searched, he could never find it. A spirit sword with no real physical form,'**_ the dark side explained.

 _'So what's the story behind it?'_ Light asks.

 _ **'The sword of Totsuka, also known as Sakegari's Katana, is a weapon said to carry sealing powers. Anyone and anything it pierces becomes trapped in a blissful, dream-like Genjutsu for all eternity, or so the legend goes. The blade itself is enchanted with an incredible, sealing technique, the ultimate counter to the sword of Susanagi,'**_ the dark explains while they watch Orochimaru's full form become absorbed. _**'Orochimaru searched for it all his life.'**_

 _'All that on top of his eye techniques…boy, Itachi's one tough dude!'_ The light exclaims as the whole Hydra is absorbed from Sasuke's body.

"End of the line, Sasuke," Itachi says as his almost completely blinded eyes stare back at his little brother, who is still crouched over on the ground. A lone white snake slithers off as Susano'o absorbs the last of Orochimaru.

 _'Man, what is up with Itachi's Jutsu?'_ The light side asked as Itachi starts coughing up blood, the realization that his time is cutting short.

 _ **'Looks like using this 'Susano'o' technique carries a lot of risk,'**_ the dark thought as Itachi's hulk is more translucent than normal.

 _'Yeah, but Sasuke can't even use his Sharingan now, and Orochimaru's powers just got ripped out of him, Itachi's got this wrapped up, no?'_ The light asks.

"Your eyes belong to me now. I'll take them slowly, I want to savor this," Itachi boasts even though he knew he wasn't going to come out of this alive. He knew his time was short so he had to be quick with this. "Before that though, I thought I should let you know something important…" Before Itachi could say anymore he starts coughing up a storm, blood coming out with each cough.

 _'Whoa! What…'_ the Light stops what he is about to say.

 _ **'Is something wrong with him?'**_ The dark asks as they watch the young man coughing blood out as he crouches down, his hulk almost completely gone now. Sasuke, seeing this moment of weakness decided to make a move, reaches into his bag and withdraws a Kunai with exploding notes attached to them. He throws the ignited notes at his brother and they explode. When the dust clears they saw that Susano'o blocks it with a shield. Itachi looks up at his brother with a glare and a smirk on his lips, making Sasuke stumble back a few steps as Itachi starts walking towards him.

"Fuck you!" Sasuke shouts out as he unrolls a weapon summoning scroll and brings out a Kunai that has a longer tether of exploding notes, throwing it at Itachi, who shakes his head and keeps on advancing as his Susano'o blocks them.

 _'This 'Susano'o' technique, its shield's reflecting all of Sasuke's attacks!'_ The light says.

 _ **'That's another supernatural item, I'm sure of it. It's called 'Yata's mirror', a shield that can turn back any attack, and combined with the sword of Totsuka for offense. He's…completely invincible,'**_ the dark side thinks.

"My…my eyes…" Itachi says as he keeps approaching and gaining in distance.

"Diiiie!" Sasuke says as he drew his sword, but the Susano'o hit him and the sword flew back along with Sasuke who ended up on the ground, groaning. As Itachi raised his hand up, Sasuke's eyes widened as he now feels he won't be able to kill his brother anymore. He kept on backing up until his back hit a hard surface, making him look behind him to see the wall.

"You won't be alone after I die, Sasuke, so don't trust the masked Uchiha. Naruto, she got pregnant and gave birth to twins, powerful twins, ones that are mixed with three great families' blood. I'm sorry for all the pain I have made you feel, so sorry, Sasuke," Itachi says as he raises his hand and pokes his fingers into Sasuke's forehead, just as his heart stops beating and he ends up hitting his head onto the wall besides Sasuke, falling and hitting the ground. As Sasuke's mind was filled with visions of Naruto as he last saw her, his heart clenches when he thinks of the fact that he missed the time when she was pregnant and going through labor with his kids. His eyes couldn't see his surroundings as the Amaterasu set's fire to everything, all he could see was the visage of the blue eyes and he knew that Naruto would be pissed at him even more now that he left. The thought made his heart clench even more, since he feared that this reason alone would make it where she wouldn't be with him when he decided it was time to come home.

 _'Itachi passed out?'_ The light asks as they watched everything set aflame, leaving nothing that it couldn't destroy untouched. _'N-no way…'_

 _ **'You don't think…'**_ the dark thought as they stared at the young man, wondering what Itachi said to him. _**'Itachi's dead?!'**_ The skies suddenly start pouring down rain as the clouds gathered yet again.

 _'Sasuke won,'_ the light said. _'I can't even believe it, it doesn't make any sense.'_

 _ **'How so?'**_ The dark side thought back as they stare at Sasuke who is still leaning against the wall.

 _'Itachi should've been much stronger than this. He wasn't moving or attacking normally and you even said something seemed wrong with him, remember?'_ The light thought to the dark.

 _ **'True,'**_ the dark replied back. _**'He was hit by attacks he should've dodged easily, and kept coughing up blood all throughout the fight. Maybe he'd already been badly wounded before Sasuke even arrived?'**_

 _'From over-using the Sharingan, you mean?'_ The light asked.

 _ **'No, not necessarily,'**_ the dark thought. Sasuke couldn't believe everything that Itachi told him and yet he knew that his brother wouldn't lie to him about this. He turns his eyes to stare down at his brother who now lay there with unstaring eyes up at the sky.

 _'He was so close to taking Sasuke's eyes, too,'_ the light side of Zetsu thought as he closed his protective shell. Sasuke stared down at the dead man and smiled as he couldn't wait till everything is finished so he could finally be able to have his family, once and for all. He struggles; trying to get up until his arms gave out from underneath him. He finally gives up and just rolls himself over as he lays there, letting the rain soak him, staring up at the sky.

~3~

Tobi stands with his feet attached under a huge branch by his Chakra as he watches the wood swarm around him. The whole group is getting aggravated as they notice not one of their attacks connected. "This formation's not working either, how can he avoid all our attacks so easily?" Yamato wonders out loud.

"Kakashi-sensei," Hinata looks at the older male.

"Mmm, I know," he tells her, knowing what she is going to say as Sakura wonders what that was all about.

"Hey, Naruto, our timing on that last attack was perfect, right?" Kiba asks the girl.

"Yeah," she says as she steadily looks up at the man.

"How the hell did he dodge it?! We should've nailed him!" Kiba says with a perturbed voice as Naruto agrees, nodding.

"I think we _did_ hit him," Naruto tells him, making him look at her with confusion written all over his face. "The same thing happened when I went after him with a Rasengan. It should've been a direct hit, but for some reason it just went right through his body."

"In other words, while it appeared that he avoided your attack, in actuality, he forced both you and your Jutsu to somehow slip through his own body. Is that correct, Naruto?" Shino asked as he looks at the girl from the corner of his eyes.

"Yes, exactly, Shino," she says as she smirks at the guy.

"Shino, seriously, talk like a normal person for once!" Kiba says as he looks at his teammate with an irked look.

"It must be some kind of special clone, or maybe a projection created with Genjutsu," Sakura suggests.

"I-I thought so too, so I checked the entire surrounding area with my Byakugan for other Chakra sources, the only place his Chakra is coming from is right here," Hinata tells her as Tobi runs around giggling.

 _'Attacks phase through him, but how…'_ Yamato thinks the situation over. "What do you think, Kakashi-sensei?"

"It can only be some kind of technique that's unique to him. That makes things difficult for us, but…" Kakashi looks over at one of the team. "Shino."

"I know," the young man says as he releases an army of his bugs.

"Times like this are when secret clan techniques, like Shino's are the most useful," Kakashi says.

"Eww! You're an Aburame? Not the bugs! Grooooss!" Tobi complains as he looks down at the group.

"You're actually pumped up, Shino!" Kiba says with a grin on his face.

"Of course I am, why? Because I was left out of the previous mission," Shino complains as it still pissed him off that they left him out. "Fly," Shino shouts at the bugs and they all sped quickly towards Tobi.

"Awww, nasty!" Tobi complains as he quickly avoids them.

"What the hell, he just jumped out of the way!" Naruto shouts as she gets aggravated.

"The Aburame's don't fight by focusing their attacks on a single point. Their forte is taking control of a wide large area all around the enemy," Kakashi tells them.

"You never really worked with Shino, Naruto. Just stand back and let him do his thing, unless you want a few bug bites, too!" Kiba jokes.

"Spread," Shino says quietly, directing his bugs who are swarming all over the place now.

"He can't get out of this. Avoiding all those bugs simply isn't possible," Kakashi says.

"Nice!" Naruto says as she grins up at the bugs chasing Tobi.

 _'Will he run, or try to slide through them…either way, I'll learn how his Jutsu works,'_ Shino says as he holds his hand up. "Swarm," Shino activates a Jutsu, making the bugs surround him.

"Hell yeah! Get 'em, Shino!" Naruto cheers him on.

"I'll finish this. Why? Not only am I part of the mission, but I must make up for not being there last time, as well," Shino says.

"Haagh, you're _still_ pissed about that?" Kiba complains as the bugs completely covered Tobi.

 _'The bugs are swallowing him up, I can't believe he can control all those tiny insects so easily,'_ Sakura thought as she stares on.

"How's it look, Hinata?" Kakashi asked.

"R-right! I can confirm the target's Chakra, he's still inside Shino-kun's bugs," Hinata says as she uses her Byakugan to see them.

"Yamato!" Kakashi shouts at him.

"On it!" Yamato starts forming signs. "We can attack anytime."

"How're we doing, Shino?" Kakashi asks the young man.

"He's still in there, how can I tell? Because the movement of my destruction bugs indicates they're still absorbing his Chakra," Shino says.

"Alright! Suck him dry, Shino!" Naruto shouts at the man who is now holding shock in his eyes. His insects are suddenly swarming all over the place, revealing that Tobi is no longer inside of them.

"How can this be?" Shino asks. "My bugs were reacting to his Chakra, and then they just…lost him. This is…unprecedented."

"Was it teleportation Jutsu?" Sakura asks.

"No, it wasn't teleportation. How do I know? Because teleportation is merely high-speed movement the bugs still would've sensed the direction he moved in and pursued. They wouldn't let him escape," Shino says.

 _'Which means he used a space/time Ninjutsu? In that situation? No, that's impossible,'_ Kakashi thought.

"He-he just…vanished," Hinata said as she looked everywhere for him.

 _'He made no seals, had no summoning tattoos, and still got his body out of the area? If that's true, then his space/time Ninjutsu are even more advanced than the Fourth's!'_ Kakashi thought as he still stared up.

"His entire body disappeared; can he just make himself cease to exist?" Yamato asked.

"No way," Sakura said, _'but then again.'_ She stops her train of thought. "Assuming he can make himself disappear at will, it makes sense he could do the same with individual body parts, too. In other words, he could… 'remove' whatever part was about to be hit by an attack, making it appear like the attack just slipped through."

"That would mean he's definitely making our attacks go through him, not simply defending or avoiding them," Kakashi tells her as Hinata looks again with her Byakugan. Akamaru is barking a little as his nose picked up the man's scent, shocking Hinata.

"I found him, he's up there!" She points up into the tree, making everyone's attention flash up there.

"Oh! Hey guys!" Tobi waves at them as Naruto growls.

 _'You can't hide from my nose, loser!'_ Kiba thought as he uses Fang over Fang on him, where Tobi side steps the attack, making Kiba crash through the branch and smash into the ground with a grunt.

"Damnit Kiba, you can't just jump out on your own!" Sakura shouts at him.

"Slipped right through him again, son of a bitch!" Kiba complains.

"Kiba-kun, he just side-stepped you," Hinata tells him and Akamaru whines as he runs towards him. As Kakashi stares up at Tobi he noticed a being started coming out of the branch that the man was standing on.

"Well?" Tobi asks him.

"It's all over," the dark side tells him.

"What…is _that_?" Sakura wonders.

"He's in the Akatsuki file Kabuto left behind," Yamato tells them.

"God damnit, more people trying to delay us?!" Naruto shouts out.

"Sasuke won! Uchiha Itachi is dead," Light Zetsu tells them all, shocking them.

"Whooooa! Didn't see that coming!" Tobi says dramatically. "Not, just as I predicted."

"S-Sasuke…killed Itachi?" Sakura says with a trembling voice.

"Sasuke collapsed like, a second later, though…what do you say? He's probably fading fast," Light Zetsu says, as Naruto's eyes widen.

"Yo, Aloe Vera! Where the fuck is Sasuke?!" Naruto shouts at him.

"Aloe Vera?!" Light Zetsu mutters.

 **"Just ignore him,"** Dark Zetsu says as Kakashi looks up and notices that Tobi has the Sharingan.

"I'll play with you children some other time," he says as he looks back at them.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from it.

 **A/N:** Okay, now I admit that I'm forcing myself to write with tons of distractions pulling me away. Mostly, I think it's the cats that are driving me insane, or the fact that my husband is driving me mad with all the looks as I seem a little on the weird side since I've been cleaning like crazy. Then of course I am pretty sure my bipolar is making my OCD go insane and my daughter isn't helping with her disaster zoned room and everyone else leaving things around the house is about to make me go berserk. Anyway, this chapter is brought to you from the madness that is Annie's head and I hope you guys love it. Now, I have to go and find a damn vet to spay two female cats that are barely a year old before they begin even more exaggerative stunts on the legs of my table. I think they are trying to learn to pole dance to attract a male or some crap.

 **Kyuubinokitsune1995:** I hope you enjoyed the last chapter, granted I could have dragged out the time on when Itachi told him about the kids, but I think with the way he died, he didn't have much time to say more. Now, my question is how will my brain play out the scenes afterwards because I will be doing more scenes with Sasuke in it.

 **Cassiejones07:** I'm glad you loved it; I was trying to get as much of the fight in even with the sprout spying on them.

 **Inuyasha16451:** Here's your update, I hope you love it.

 **Melyway:** You will just have to have some patience, I will be showing more of what he will be doing and why he is doing it.

 **Chapter Twenty**

"Sharingan?!" Kakashi says as his eyes widen, shocking everyone when he says this. "Who…who the hell is he?!" Kakashi grits out as Zetsu melds with the tree again.

"Bye bye!" Tobi says as he shows how he has been avoiding them by going into a different dimension.

"We have to get to Sasuke before them!" Kakashi shouts over his shoulder as he kept on running until he jumps onto the top of a tall tree, his eyes just zip from one side to the other. Suddenly, he saw a huge black cloud fed by the Amaterasu to his left. "Hinata! See what's going on at 4 o'clock!"

"Y-yes!" Hinata stutters and activates her Byakugan, staring at the area where the clouds were. "There's an area 10 km from here surrounded by a very powerful Chakra…and…umm…the forest is burning, and the flames are black."

 _'Amaterasu!?'_ Kakashi starts to worry. "That's it! Everyone follow me!"

 _'I won't screw up this time,'_ Naruto thought as she took a deep breath then opened her eyes and stared in the direction that they will be heading out in. "Move out at top speed!"

~3~

Tobi appears right on the crumbling wall that holds the Uchiha symbol, staring down at the two brothers. Itachi's unseeing eyes staring up at the sky as rain poured down over them. "You're too slow," he tells Zetsu who is now popping above the ground.

"Well, excuse me for not being able to move at the freaking speed of light," the light side says.

"Did you make sure to record the whole thing while you watched?" Tobi asks.

 **"Relax, I got everything,"** the dark side says.

"I think I will, I'll relax and enjoy the viewing later, but for now, we need to get Itachi's corpse," Tobi looks over at him. "And leave immediately."

~3~

Kiba's eyes widen when he starts smelling their scents as they get closer. "I've got the scent! They've already gotten to Sasuke!"

"Those bastards!" Naruto grits out as she glares ahead. _'So this is Amaterasu, I've never seen it so wild before.'_

"What's that?" Sakura asks.

"It's one of Itachi's techniques!" Naruto says.

"Yamato!" Kakashi yells over his shoulder.

"On it, Senpai!" The man says and forms his signs creating a pathway for them as he splits the Earth to make a direct line for where they were heading. "Go on without me!"

"Alright, everyone else follow me!" Kakashi tells them as he activates his Mangekyou as they arrived at the place where Sasuke was.

"There's still a trace of their scent, but…" Kiba stops and looks over at Naruto with worried eyes as the rain pours down.

"We're too late," Kakashi says, disappointed.

"Naruto," Sai tries to comfort the woman who is gritting her teeth, trying to stop the tears that are now running down her cheeks.

~3~

Sasuke is tied up and leaning up against the wall, not being able to believe the story that this so called man who claims to be 'Madara Uchiha'. The facts that his brother killed his clan completely so that he could protect his little brother from the complete annihilation of his clan, made him feel sick to his stomach and he stares down at his lap. "Lying…you're lying," he grits out and the man stares down at him. "You're lying, you have to be…" His eyes are practically unseeing as his mind reels from the information the man practically shoved inside of it. He knew now, exactly what was at stake and the fact that the third was just trying to protect him along with his brother, but the fact that the other elders wanted him dead since before he was born shook him to the core. Now, his mission in life is changing, not because of what this man has told him since he already felt the protectiveness that his brother showed him in the last few minutes of his life. He didn't want this man to find out about his kids and he thinks it will be bad if he does. So, now he is speeding through his head, trying to find a solution to finish this guy before he finds out there are two more Uchiha's who have the potential to become spare eyes for him. "It makes no sense, for one, I knew that he was protective of me, but that doesn't mean he would want me to be around you. He was warning me away from you," Sasuke said as he looks at the man.

"You're starting to make me wonder why he kept you alive so we could have this conversation," Tobi says. "My question is why he slowed down on his intensity at the end of the fight and just talk to you?"

"He wasn't talking to me, really. He was just saying how much he couldn't wait to take my eyes," Sasuke said as he half lied to the man. "That and the fact that he got rid of the last little bit of Orochimaru that was left inside of me, that's all."

"So that is it, huh? He planned to free you from the curse seal, and awaken your own Mangekyou Sharingan with the death of the person closest to you. Why didn't kill her, I wonder?" Tobi muses as he stares at the young man.

"You, Madara, you were the one who used the Kyuubi to attack the village! Itachi told me everything!" Sasuke growled since that was the cause of Naruto's mother's death. "You framed the Uchiha! You and Itachi were just toying with us all!"

"I'm afraid that's the lie, Sasuke. Itachi never stopped worrying that you'd learn the truth. So to prevent even the slightest chance of that happening, he fed you a false story to make sure you'd never trust me. On top of that, he even implanted his Amaterasu I your own eyes," Tobi says.

"Why the hell should I believe any of this!?" Sasuke shouts. "It was Itachi! He was the bad guy! He slaughtered the whole clan and joined Akatsuki! He was guilty!"

"On his own, he decided to commit a crime that would never be forgiven, leave his village and join Akatsuki to protect his village from the inside," Tobi explains, making Sasuke's eyes widen. "He never lost his love for Konoha or you. When the Third Hokage, the man who promised to keep you safe, died, he returned to the village immediately. All to remind Danzou and the councilors, 'I'm still alive'. Your safety was his number one pr-"

"Enough!" Sasuke shouts at him as he knows there was one other reason why Itachi wanted to meet him. "Lies! This is all-"

"You're still alive, aren't you?! Your eyes didn't see through Itachi one bit. Every single illusion he created, you accepted," Tobi says as Sasuke starts remembering the fight and didn't notice that Tobi got up from the crate he was sitting on. "Itachi killed his friends, his superiors, his girlfriend, his father, his mother, but he couldn't kill his little brother. Crying his bloody tears, he killed his emotions, exterminated his kinsman to save his village, but he couldn't kill you." He says as he cuts the rope and stares down at him as soon as he straightens up. "Is this getting through to you?" He asks as he stares down at the limp hand of the young man's. "To him, your life was more important than the village."

~3~

Sasuke stared out to sea as he was lost in his inner turmoil. He remembered his childhood, when he was growing up with Itachi as an older brother. All of the times that Itachi would catch him stalking Naruto and the fact that he wouldn't hold it against him or call him names because of it. He remembered all the times that Itachi would coach him in his skills and answered his questions. Itachi noticed how lost Naruto felt and how bad Sasuke felt when he watched her. Then all of the times that Itachi would apologize because he couldn't train him since he had missions to go on, all of these memories swamped Sasuke and he now stood there with tears pouring down his face as the last words of his brother flowed over him, letting him know that he was loved. Itachi put himself on the spot to be the one to tell him about Sasuke's children and now, Sasuke has to try his hardest to make sure that Tobi doesn't find out about them. His heart hurt majorly that both he and Itachi haven't met them and he couldn't wait to meet them. The biggest part is that he hopes that Naruto will let him be a father to their children even if they aren't together, though he does want to be with her, he understands if she doesn't want that in the end. Tobi stood by Sasuke with the three of his teammates warily standing on the other side not wanting to be around the unknown person. Sasuke knew that he would have to protect Naruto and his children on his own and in his own way so he will have to just be quiet now and not let on that he has children. His teammates would be shocked and Karin might cause problems but he knew that Naruto's cousin has no clue about her and the fact that Sasuke loves Naruto and not her would throw her into a rage.

"Our group will no longer be known as 'Hebi'. From now on, we refer to ourselves as 'Taka'," Sasuke says as he watches a hawk fly off into the sunset. Hating that he has to actually play this role, he grits his teeth before he lies and says, "'Taka' only has one purpose, one goal." Tobi smirks under his mask as he knows he got his way and now has a wonderful toy to play with until he got tired of him. Sasuke opens his eyes and his Mangekyou is flashing out to sea as he feels the giddiness that Tobi is expertly hiding, making him realize even more how he cannot trust the man. "The complete and utter destruction of the Leaf!" He says as his tears dries on his cheeks, knowing that he would have to play his part for a little while he steels his heart so that no hint shows at all.

~3~

Two sets of eyes stare at their mother as they lay down in the bed besides her, staring at her face as emotions whirl inside of her as she remembers her encounter with Itachi, hoping that he was able to talk to Sasuke before he killed him. She then remembers the conversation where Jiraiya told her to forget about Sasuke and she told him about being pregnant.

"Mama, are okay?" Kushina asks as she places her small hand on Naruto's cheek, wiping away the tears that were falling.

"Do I have to beat someone up?" Futarou asks as he holds a grumpy face, the same that Sasuke would have when he was a child, making Naruto giggle at her son.

"No, mommy is just sad that I didn't succeed in bringing your father home," Naruto tells them and they both hug her.

"Don't worry, mommy, if he comes home, then it means he was meant to come home. We'll have to be patient until then," Futarou says and bites his quivering lip.

~3~

Sasuke stares up at the moon, remembering all the times he was with Naruto, and trying hard to imagine what she would have looked like pregnant with the twins. He suddenly wished he had a picture of them and smirked as he realized how much that wish filled him with hope. "What're you doing? We finished preparing a while ago," Tobi wonders as he stares up at the young man.

"Staring at the full moon like this brings back memories of that night, including memories I've tried to repress," Sasuke says, confusing Tobi as he has no clue what night Sasuke is talking about. The fact that he is remembering the last night that he spent with Naruto before he left her on the side of the river bed, sleeping. His memories then flared to when his family was massacred by his brother. "I can remember Itachi now, things I tried to keep locked away in the depths of my heart are coming back to me." He remembered the fight he had when he chased after Itachi and knocked off his Hitae ite and picked it up, tying it back onto his head. The shine of the light on his tears was forgotten and now brought to light to the young man. "He was crying. I thought I was seeing things, I couldn't accept it. Apparently you were telling the truth, after all." Sasuke says as the man stares up at him in silence.

~3~

Still lying on the bed, the twins are now asleep for the night and Naruto is still wallowing in sadness and confused feelings about what happened. _'What was Itachi trying to tell me? Why would he…'_ she stopped her train of thoughts as she stares back at the peaceful toddlers who are so angelic in their sleep even though they aren't that bad during the day. "What're you doing now, Sasuke? Are you alright?" She says out loud as she lays down on her front trying to get her thoughts to rest.

~3~

"What will you do with Itachi's eyes? Take them as your own?" Tobi asks.

"No," Sasuke tells him making the man grit his teeth behind his mask. "The result Itachi wanted to see was the exact opposite of what my eyes are about to witness. I can't grant his wishes, I'm going to resurrect the Uchiha my own way." He stares up at the moon as he felt giddy inside, knowing that he has already made a great start on this.

~3~

The sun rose above the horizon and shined into the twin's eyes waking them up but also waking up Naruto. There was a light knock on her window making the three turn their eyes simultaneously towards it, seeing Kakashi holding his hand up and waving at them. "Buh-wha…Kakashi-sensei?"

"The Fifth needs to see you, Naruto," he says as he looks down at the two kids who are now wiping their eyes free of sleep.

~3~

When the four arrived to the Hokage's office, Bunta and his son Gamakichi were outside waiting on them. "Huh? The boss toad and Gamakichi?" Naruto mutters as she holds the twins hands.

"What's shakin' Naruto?" Gamakichi asks as he looks at the toddlers with her. "Ohhh, you brought the kiddos. Got to love seeing them, they both are so powerful."

"What're you guys doing out so early? Did something happen?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah-" Gamakichi tried to finish and his father interrupted him.

"Gamakichi! Keep yer trap shut! The head and Tsunade'll tell 'er!" Gamabunta shouts at his boy making the three who are staring up at him widen their eyes.

"The heck was that about?" Naruto asked Kakashi.

"Just hurry up," he tells her and she looks at him wondering what's with the biting tone of his voice. As they arrived to the Hokage's office, everyone stared at the blond with saddened eyes.

"So this here girl's Jiraiya-chan's pupil?" The old frog says as he stares at the girl.

"Yes, this is Uzumaki Naruto, the 'destined child,' I suppose," Tsunade tells him as she holds her hands under her chin.

"A grandpa frog, now? What gives?" She asks as she looks perturbed at the setting in the office.

"Watch your tone, Naruto!" Tsunade shouts at the girl. "This is one of the great head hermits of Myouboku Mountain, Fukasaku-sama! He came all the way here to talk to you!"

"Head hermit toads, if ya wanna get all formal. Anyways, yer Jiraiya-chan's pupil, yeah?" He asks her as he ignores the woman behind the desk to stare up at the girl and then down at the toddlers with her. "These must be the two that Jiraiya brags about being a great grand dad." He grins at them and they smile back at him, bowing their heads.

"-chan…? '-chan'!? What, do you think Ero Sennin's your summoned animal? What the hell's this wrinkly old frog's problem!" She glares at the frog as her twins start hugging their mom to calm her down.

"I said watch your mouth! He's Jiraiya-sama's teacher, a great and wise figure who taught him hermit-style Ninjutsu!" Tsunade grits out at her, making her eyes widen.

"Ero Sennin! Ya got the same attitude as yer master, kiddo!" The old toad barks out a laugh as he hears what the girl calls Jiraiya.

"Alright, old…toad…what'd you wanna tell me?" She turns her head to him and asks somewhat politely.

"Where do I start…guess I'd better just say it. Jiraiya-chan was killed in battle," he tells her as he just gets it out and over with. Naruto stands there with the twins who are starting to tear up.

"Huh?" Her eyes widen as she stands there staring back at the toad while the two cling more to her as tears rush down their cheeks. "Wh-what're you saying?"

"Durin' his fight, Pain crushed poor Jiraiya-chan's throat. Before he fell fer the last time, he left one final message," the old toad says as he removes his cloak and turns around. "An' here it is!"

"A code," Shizune says as she tries hard to concentrate on it over the cries of the twins who are now clutching a leg each as they cried into their mother's skirt.

"He did it so Pain wouldn't know what he was sayin'. This here's what Jiraiya-chan died for," the old toad says as he puts his cloak back on.

"Granny, did you send him there?" Naruto asks quietly as she stares down at the ground, fighting the emotions that are building up a storm inside of her as her teammates stare at her, worried.

"Yes," she tells her as the woman continues to look down at the floor.

"What the hell were you thinking!" Naruto says as she glares up at the woman. "You know how the perverted hermit got! Why did you let him go on such a risky-"

"Enough, Naruto," Kakashi tells her as he interrupts her. "You should understand exactly how the fifth feels." He stares into her blue eyes as Tsunade remembers the conversation she had with Jiraiya before he left.

"Fuck this," Naruto grits out as she grabs the twins up into her arms before she turns around and starts walking to the door.

"Naruto, where are you going?!" Sakura asks.

"If he'd been the Fifth Hokage, he'd never have made you go on that mission, Granny Tsunade," she says as she grips the door knob into her hand, turning it while the twins clung to her, crying even louder.

"Naruto!" Sakura reprimands her.

"Its okay, Sakura, just let her be for a while," Tsunade says as she looks down at her desk, guilt filling her fully now as she closes her eyes with the sound of the door shutting.


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from writing stories that coexist with them.

 **A/N:** Well, here's to me writing one of the saddest parts in the whole manga/anime. Don't beat me up for making toddlers cry, because it's just what they would do if they were in the anime.

 **Frwt:** Okay, this is a valid question. The twins are two and a half and yes, they do amazing things like jumping to a roof but you have to think that they have been around when Jiraiya was training Naruto and they do speak better than most at that age, but that's one thing I love about Japan, they are ahead of us in most ways, their children speaking before those in the US is no difference and that's what I based that on.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it.

 **Melyway:** Love the reaction; I'm glad I wowed you.

 **Luckyinugirl:** I'm having the same issue, writing this scene has made me cry because I put myself in Naruto's shoes to write it and know how losing a father figure feels. What killed me is the fact that the twins thought of him like family and their reaction hit me hard since they are more mature than most two and a half y/o's and knew what death means.

 **Chapter Twenty-One**

Naruto is now slowly walking with the twins who are now deeply asleep since they cried themselves to sleep before she put them onto the fox that is walking slowly besides her. Her memories are flooding through her head, making her relive every moment she's had with Jiraiya, tears brimming in her eyes. "Hey, Naruto!" Iruka grins at his pupil as she comes closer to him. "I hear you're doing all sorts of dangerous missions these days. Everyone in the village is talking about you. What do you say we hang out, for old time's sake? How about we hit Ichiraku? Eh? Get some ramen!" He says trying to get her to cheer up which doesn't work as she looks down at the ground, making him stare at her with worry filled eyes.

"No thanks," she says as her and the fox walk past him, her thoughts and heart full of pain. Iruka stares back, hating that he cannot help his student when she's mourning.

~3~

As soon as Naruto gets home, the twins asleep and lying down on the bed, she tries to eat her some ramen but after a few bites she couldn't stomach anymore. She figured that she would go out and take a walk, leaving the twins in the protective care of her foxes.

She walks down one of the many slopes until she walks in front of a general store. She buys herself a popsicle and sits on a bench in the park where she brought the twins to play when she doesn't have a mission. The popsicle hangs from her hand, dripping as it is a pretty warm night as she is overwhelmed by her memories and the pain that is crushing her chest, tears dripping down her cheeks as she couldn't help but to cry from it all.

"Naruto," Iruka walks up to her slowly and sits next to her on the bench as she scoots down to give him some room. "I heard about Lord Jiraiya."

"I wanted him to keep watching me; I wanted him to be here when I became Hokage. To have him see me do more than just screw up," she smiles as the tears dry on her cheeks. "He promised that he would be there for me and the twins, a grandfather to us."

"Lord Jiraiya had nothing but praise for you. He'd brag constantly about you, how you were practically his granddaughter," Iruka says and smiles at the girl. "How you were a woman who'd inherited his spirit. He never doubted for a minute that you'd grow up to be a wonderful Hokage," he says as he stares at the woman. "Lord Jiraiya will always be watching over you. I'm sure he's looking down on you now, wherever he is," he stands up to look down at her. "But if you just sit around sulking, he won't be able to brag about you, so," he pauses and takes the Popsicle from her slack fingers. "Don't stop being the person who earned all that praise. Be yourself, and cheer up! You're Lord Jiraiya's prize pupil – the man who he acknowledged as being the best," he tells her as he breaks the Popsicle while staring at her. Naruto stares back at him until a small smile forms on her soft lips as she accepts the half of the Popsicle that he handed her.

"Thanks, Iruka-sensei," she tells him.

~3~

Shikamaru looks up at the tall gate to the Namekaze-Uzumaki grounds and sighs before he knocks on the door. "Is she out?" He wonders as the maids tend to not answer when their mistress is not here. The door slides open and reveals a Naruto who has tear tracks down her cheeks as she peeks out.

"Shikamaru? What do you want?" Naruto asks him as she steels her facial expressions while looking at him.

"Can I come in at least?" He asks as he wonders if he can get through to her. She lets him in and trudges back to her room way at the back, making Shikamaru more worried that she wouldn't even go to a room to speak to her guests. He hands her the picture of the hidden message on the elder frogs back so that she could look at it. "So? Does it make any sense to you?" He asks as Naruto stares at the message. "Hey! Naruto!" He shouts at her as it seems like she's not really there with him, this startles her enough to stare up at him with wide eyes.

"Ah, sorry, sorry! What was it again?" Naruto asks as she smiles at him.

"Come with me for a minute," he tells her and stands up from her floor.

"Where?" She asks.

"Just get up," he tells her and tugs her up onto her feet.

"Wh-what the hell!?" Naruto shrieks as he just throws her over his shoulder, knowing that the twins have been watched over as they are with his mother.

~3~

He didn't sit her down until they were right in front of Konoha Hospital, and then they were just standing there staring at the massive building. "Ah! There she is," Shika smiles and Naruto stares back in confusion. Kuranai stared back at the two with shock as she stared back at them.

"Eh!? Kuranai-sensei's-" Naruto starts and Shika interrupts.

"Yep," he tells her.

"You are pregnant?" Naruto squeals as she covers her now excitedly blushing cheeks, practically bouncing in her steps. "I miss being at that stage, it was fun and so delicious as Pervy Sage tended to get me everything I craved at that point."

"You might say that now but you were complaining a lot when you were that far along, Naruto," Shika grins at the girl.

"Y-you had a baby, Naruto?" Kuranai says as her face is so full of shock she didn't know what to say. Gathering back her senses she turns her gaze to Shikamaru. "Shikamaru, you don't have to come here every day."

"Heh, I'm afraid I do. Asuma made me promise," he tells her making Naruto's eyes widen as they both turn and watch Kuranai walk off towards home. "That kid's gonna be my pupil someday," he tells his friend and she stares at Shika wondering why he decided to be the baby's sensei in the future. "Asuma left him in my care. I know all about Jiraiya-sama," he stopped and stared at her showing her that he will be there for her if she wants him to be. "I lost my teacher too; I know what you're going through. Nothing's gonna happen if you keep hesitating." Naruto pouts as she tries to hold back her tears. "It's time you left that place behind, too."

"What're you talking about?" Naruto asks.

"My teacher taught me a ton of things. Some of it was invaluable; some of it was completely useless. Yours did too, right? Lots of things, countless things. We're on our way there, too, you know?" Shika tells her as they both stared at the path that led away from the hospital.

"On our way where?" Naruto asks and they started walking.

"To their side, the side that leaves behind instead of inherits. It may be troublesome, but it's the way of the world," Shika tells her as he looks at her over his shoulder making her eyes widen. "Pretty soon, you'll be the one treating some kid to ramen, and he'll call you 'Naruto-sensei.' We can't stay kids forever. Not if we wanna be kickass Shinobi like Asuma and Jiraiya-sama." When he says this, Naruto pictures Jiraiya in her mind and smiles. "Now, get a grip, you've got a job to do," Shika says as he holds the picture up at her so she can see it again.

~3~

They ended up going to the Cryptography Unit to try and see if Naruto could figure out what the message's system of encryption is. She stared down at the picture, thinking hard on it. "You haven't said a word this whole time. Anything yet?" Shika asks as he stares at her with impatience brewing inside of him as Naruto hums. "I already tried the Fifth and Kakashi-sensei, and they had nothing. I've got a strong feeling this message was meant for you. Actually, I'm sure of it. There's a connection to you, I just know there is."

"If you think of anything, anything at all, just tell me what to do. Unless it's, 'decode it now' or something," the woman who is the head descriptors assistant says.

"There was one thing when I first saw the picture," Naruto says as she closes her eyes and then turns to look at Shika. "Well, I thought, 'how come everything's a number except that first Katakana character?'"

"Huh?" Shika's eyes widen when she says this.

"Katakana?" The assistant asks.

"Where?! Where do you see that?!" Shika asks as he leans over to stare at the picture again.

"There, see?" She says as her and the assistant leans over, pointing at the first figure on the elder toads back.

"There's no Katakana. That's a 9, right?" Shika asks her.

"I thought so too at first, but I'm sure it's not a 9. It's a Katakana 'ta,'" Naruto tells them.

"Hunnnh, now that you said it, I'm starting to see it like that, too," Shika says as he stares back at her.

 _'Maybe,'_ the assistant thought. "Namekaze-Uzumaki-chan, could you tell me why you think this is a 'ta' and not a '9'?" She asks as she adjusts her glasses.

"Well, the old pervert was constantly working on his new book. He was an author too, remember? And since I was the only one who could understand adult books, he made me read all his handwritten drafts," she tells her. "He'd say, 'give me your opinion.' And I'd say, 'this is boring as hell.' Whenever there was a 'ta', I'd get confused because his 'ta's' do look like 9's. So, you know."

"Right, it was just his handwriting," the assistant mused.

"A handwriting quirk, huh," Shika thought as he watched the woman.

"Like this, yes?" The assistant asks as she writes on a paper. "Lord Jiraiya had a habit of writing the first stroke of 'ta' a bit short, and joining the third stroke to the very bottom of the first one. And he also put a slight curve on the second stroke. Making his 'ta' look like a '9.' Frankly, I think this could be the link between Namekaze-Uzumaki-chan and Lord Jiraiya we've been looking for!" She exclaims as she adjusts her glasses.

"Why the hell didn't you say that right away? This could be a huge clue!" Shika complains.

"But what does knowing it's a 'ta' even do for us?" Naruto asks.

"Aah! The book! You just said it!" Shika exclaims after he thought hard on what it could mean.

"Y-yes, Shikamaru! Frankly, I think the clue could be hidden within Lord Jiraiya's book! The numbers must be line numbers, word markers, and pages. Yes, this is definitely leading us down the right path!" The assistant says as she smiles widely.

"Naruto, did you notice anything significant in the book involving the 'ta' character?" Shika asks.

"Uhhh, hmm," Naruto was stumped.

"Hey, what number book was this slated to be?" Shika asks.

"I dunno, four? Maybe five?" Naruto tells him.

"Either way, we need to get all those books and do some research," Shika says with a smile on his face.

"I believe you'll find this volume especially interesting," Kakashi says as he opens the window holding the book up and they saw that 'ta' was in the title.

"Come come tactics," Shika grins. "'Ta'."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto exclaims as she spins around.

"I was curious how things were going, and I ended up over-hearing your conversation," Kakashi says as he is still holding the book up.

"That's…the book he wrote while he was training me," Naruto tells them.

"I never would've noticed if Naruto hadn't said anything. I was right, the message must be for Naruto," Shika smiles.

"The volumes are numbered, if the first character of the code is 'ta', he must have been trying to lead us to the 'tactics' volume," Kakashi says as he looks down at his book.

"If the message is within the book, we'll need to look at pages, count words, and so on. We should try page numbers first! Let's see, the commas are the delimiters, 31, 8, 106, 7, 207, 15, six in all. So the information will be on six pages. Page 31 is first. Let's take a look at it," the assistant tells Kakashi.

"Page 31, eh," Kakashi flips through them and looks back at her. "Here we are, now where do we look?"

"The most common method is to look at the first letter on the page. We also need the word's context, so read the whole sentence out loud, please," she tells him.

"Bwuh? Err, uh…" Kakashi starts sweating when he saw the line they want him to read out loud.

"What's the problem?! Just read it already!" Naruto crabs at him.

"Eeeh-nnnh-" He whimpers out while they write the lines down on a piece of paper. Shikamaru's face is speechless when they finished writing everything down.

"That's all six pages!" The assistant says with a huge smile on her face.

"Well?" Naruto asks.

"If we read the first words in order, we get, 'the real one isn't with them,'" she says.

"The hell does that mean?" Naruto wonders.

"We should get in touch with Fukasaku-sama. If he was there during the fight with Pain, it should mean something to him," Kakashi suggested.

"I'll ask the Fifth to find this Fukasaku guy right away," Shika tells him.

"May I accompany you?" The assistant asks him.

"Yeah, please," he tells her and her face transforms into full on glee.

"Okay! Let's go talk to her right now!" Naruto shouts out.

~3~

Inside of the Hokage's office, both Shika and Naruto along with the assistant and Kakashi were looking over the message with the elder toad. "The…real…one…isn't…with…them?" The toad looks at it and thinks deeply.

"How about it, gramps!? Does it tell you anything?" Naruto asks as she tries to be patient with the toad who keeps reading the words over and over as the Hokage watches him. He pulled up the memories of the fight with Pain, going through every single part inside his brain, racking it trying to recall a clue.

"I don't understand, with only this to go on, it's still too vague," he tells the girl.

"Well then, is there anything else you can think of?" Shika asks him.

"I already told you what I know about Pein, he's the kind of man who'll come back even if he dies, but that's just my speculation. It would be dangerous to go up against Pein in this state of affairs. We have to solve this mystery first," he tells everyone.

"How are our other information sources coming along? The autopsy and interrogation," Kakashi asks.

"It looks like those two will still take some time," Sakura tells him.

"Like how long?" Naruto asks the pink haired woman.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Sakura says as she shakes her head.

"What the hell is that!? Is this really the time to be sitting around on our asses!?" Naruto gripes as she now shows her impatience.

"Interrogation aside, the cells and tissue have to be thoroughly analyzed in the autopsy! That will take time no matter what!" Sakura shouts at her.

"It'll be a week at the earliest, I imagine," Lady Tsunade says as she tries to get Naruto to see that she is losing her patience again.

"It takes that long!?" Naruto whines as she hangs her head.

"You don't need to get so disappointed, Lady Namekaze-Uzumaki," the assistant says as she tries to cheer the girl up.

"So, what are we going to do, Fifth?" Shika asks her as he himself is starting to lose his patience.

"Shizune is overseeing the autopsy; it will probably go faster than usual. There's nothing to do but wait, really," Tsunade says.

"I'm gonna go tell them to get a move on!" Naruto growls as she turns and starts walking to the door.

"Hold it, Naruto! I won't forgive you if you get in Shizune's way!" Sakura shouts at her.

"I'm going to get revenge for that Ero-sennin," Naruto says as she is now right in front of the door. "There's no way I'm just gonna wait around here!" She says as she looks at them from the corner of her eye.

"Naruto-chan, the fact that I figured out the code has nothing to do with you," the old toad starts as he stares at the girl.

"What are you talking about!?" She shouts at him.

"Deciphered or not, there's no way you can win against Pein the way you are now," he tells her. "So, come with me," he says and she looks at him with widened eyes. "I'll train you in magic on the strange tree mountain. If you don't mind learning the same way I beat it into Jiraiya-chan.

"And I'll really be able to beat Pein that way!?" Naruto asks as her eyes narrow.

"I don't know, all I know that if you stay as you are now, you're no good," he tells her and turns to the Hokage. "Do you mind, Tsunade?"

"Of course not, Naruto, you'd better work hard," she tells the girl that she thinks of as a granddaughter.

"Training in these arts is harsher than you could ever imagine! Think you can do it?" He asks the girl.

"That Ero-sennin could do it, couldn't he? Then there's no way I can fail either! I'll do it!" Naruto says as she stares back at the toad.

 _'An apprentice handed down, the child of prophecy?'_ The toad thought as he smiled at her. "Well said!"

~3~

Sakura, Shikamaru and Tsunade were standing at the entrance to the village to see off Naruto, the twins and the elder toad. "We're headin' out. Say yer goodbyes, Naruto-chan, Fuu-chan and Shina-chan," he says as he looks at the foxes with a wary eye.

"I'll see you guys later. Figure out that code, Shikamaru," Naruto says as the twins' wave at him.

"Don't worry about me," Shika says.

"I'll send word when the autopsy and interrogation have both concluded," Tsunade says as she stares back at the young woman.

"I'll leave y'all a transmission frog. Anythin' happens, you let him know," the toad tells her.

"Of course," she replied.

"Go get 'em, Naruto!" Sakura cheers her friend on.

"Right! Let's roll!" Naruto waves at her with two fingers as her and the foxes turned around with the twins on their backs. She started walking and groans and looks at the elder toad. "So, which way is Myouboku Mountain, now?"

"It'd be about a month on foot. They call it a mountain of mazes, if ya don't know the secret paths, you'll never make it through," he tells her.

"Man, just getting there's that hard?" Naruto says as she hangs her head.

"Naruto-chan, you've already signed the contract with us toads, there ain't no need to put up a fuss," he says as he summons the scroll that holds Jiraiya's name and her father's on it as well.

"Oh! That's th-" Naruto stops what she's going to say as she points at the scroll.

"We'll be off," he tells Tsunade as he releases the scroll.

"Please take good care of them," Tsunade says as she bows to the toad.

"What do you mean, 'don't put up a fu-" Naruto starts then is interrupted as she disappears along with the children who were holding onto her.

"Huh? She disappeared?" Sakura says as her jaw drops.

"Reverse summoning," Tsunade tells her.

"Wow," she says.

"I'm countin' on y'all, too," the old toad says as he disappears as well.

"Okay, let's all redouble our efforts and figure out what Jiraiya wanted to tell us!" Tsunade says as she turns around and starts walking back into town.

"Roger that," Shika says.

"Yes ma'am!" Sakura replied.

 _'Namekaze-Uzumaki Naruto, the destined child?'_ Tsunade thought as she looks over her shoulder with a worried frown on her face.

~3~

The small group appeared amongst an area that looks like there's huge leaves and frogs relaxing in them or on them. "What the-" Naruto stops as she stares up at the tall leaves when the elder frog pops up besides her.

"Naruto," a voice said drawing her attention to him. "I summoned you here, Naruto."

"Aaaah ha. So that's what happened," Naruto says, looking down at her hands with a smile on her face. The twins got off of the foxes and ran over to hug Gamakichi.

"Come fill yer stomach before we start our trainin'," the elder says, making the woman stare at him with confused eyes. They are all sitting around a table that holds more things with insects and grubs in them than Naruto has ever seen.

"Eat up, kiddo! Made an extra special dish just for you!" Granny toad says as she winks at the young woman. The twins actually tried the food and shrugged when it didn't taste all that bad to them, so they continued to eat while their mother goes and hurls her stomach up. They decided to go out to the training area.

"You ain't got time to puke, girl, we gotta start yer trainin' straight away," the elder frog tells her as he stares at the twins who were standing there waiting.

"R-right!" Naruto says.

"The first thing I'm gonna teach ya is the difference between regular Ninjutsu and Hermit arts, or 'Senjutsu,'" he tells the young woman as the twins hops up and down.

"Yay!" They both cheered together as they jump.

"Senjutsu?" Naruto asks.

"Yep, instead of usin' internal energy, like ya do for Ninjutsu, Senjutsu uses energy ya absorb from outside sources," the old frog says as Naruto listens.

"Outside? What does that mean?" She asks.

"Hrmm, ya know how Ninjutsu works, Naruto-chan. Ya combine yer internal 'spiritual energy' and 'physical stamina' and mold 'em both into 'Chakra', then use that fer yer techniques," he explains. "With Senjutsu, ya take that internal Chakra and augment it with 'nature's energy,' creatin' a new, much more powerful form 'a Chakra. And all yer Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, even yer hand-to-hand skills'll get a serious power-up. So ya got yer internal spiritual energy, physical stamina, and the power of nature comin' in from the outside. Techniques usin' Chakra made from those three energy sources are called 'Senjutsu.'" He says as he heard Naruto humming.

"It's like ice cream, when they add in mint to a chocolate-vanilla swirl. That makes it even more delicious!" Gamakichi explains to the girl, drawing a chuckle from the twins.

"Don't make things more complicated, Gamakichi!" The old toad shouts at his grandson.

"Aaah! Now I get it!" Naruto exclaims.

" _Now_ she gets it?" The old frog grumbles.

"Heheh, that's how it goes with Naruto," the younger toad tells him.

"So what is this 'nature energy' you're talking about?" The young woman asks.

"It's all around ya, the power of the atmosphere and mother Earth," he told her.

"Atmosphere and Earth," Naruto hums as she rubs her chin.

"The air and the ground," Gamakichi says.

"I know that, Kichi, I was just trying to figure out how this will work," she tells him.

"Enough talk, time ta see it in action," the elder toad says and hops down towards some frog statues. _'That oughtta do it.'_

"Rock on, Fukasaku-sama! Look at all the natural energy he's collectin'!" Gamakichi shouts as he cheers the old toad on.

"Huh? Where?" Naruto squints as she still couldn't see it.

"Wh-whoa," the young toad says as he stares at the elder toad who is now trying to lift the statue. The statue lifts up into the air making the woman's jaw drop.

"He picked it up?!" She exclaims.

"How's that, girl? This's what Senjutsu can do, the power of nature in your hands!" The toad says as he holds the statue with just one of his hands that looks like it has veins bursting out. He groans out as he tosses the statue down and it lands with a loud rumble.

"But what'd you do? I didn't see anything, the old hermit frog just made a little seal," Naruto wonders out loud as she tries to figure this out.

"Ahh yes, ya can't sense the ebb and flow of Mother Nature yet, meanin' ya can't draw it inta yerself, either," Fukusaku says as he is now pouring with sweat.

"So what do I do?" Naruto asks as she stares at the panting toad.

"Ya gotta become one with the Earth!" He says as the sweat drips quickly from his head.

"Uhh, how?" She asks.

"You gotta die," Gamakichi says.

"Bwha?" Naruto grunts out. "Die!? I gotta die if I wanna become one with nature?" She squeaked out as she stares up at Gamakichi.

"Did ya say die, Gamakichi? The hell's wrong with you, boy? No more stupid examples from you!" Fukusaku sternly says.

"But…" The young toad says.

"Relax, Naruto-chan. Ain't no need fer ya ta actually die," he reassures her. "Now lemme finish what I was talkin' about. Ya keep yer traps shut 'til I'm done! The way ya make yerself 'one' with the energy of nature, is by learnin' ta sense it and draw its current into yer body. And as ya make it part of yerself, ya become able ta freely control its flow in an' outta yer body. Let's try us a more concrete example, eh?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" Naruto nods quickly, impatient to start as the twins giggle at their mother.

"Don't move a muscle," he tells her as he points at her.

"Huh?" Naruto stares at him, confused.

"Ya gotta stop disruptin' the flow of natural energy all around ya. That's the first step ta reachin' harmony with nature," he tells her.

"So, I just stand still? Sounds like a piece of cake to me!" Naruto grins cockily.

"You don't get it, Naruto," Gamakichi says as he stares at his friend.

"Hmph, fer livin' creatures, stayin' still's about the hardest thing ya can do," Fukusaku says as he hops over to the pool that they were near.

"I've trained to jump, run, draw out my Chakra, but not moving sounds kinda…weird. But that's how I'll learn to manipulate natural energy, right?" Naruto asks as she punches her other hand.

"It ain't gonna happen in a few seconds, kiddo. This's real difficult stuff," he tells her as he finally lands right besides it.

"You know we don't have a lot of time. There's gotta be a way to do it really fast!" She says.

"I ain't sayin' there ain't, but…" He stops talking as he noticed that she was staring at something. "This here waterfall's actually the secret toad oil of Myouboku Mountain."

"Toad oils?" She stares up at the waterfall.

"C'mere girl, gimme yer hand," he beckons her and she walks over to him.

"Okay," she rolls her sleeve up a little bit and he dips his finger into the oil before he starts rubbing circles on her wrist. "What's it do?"

"The oil's like a magnet fer nature's energy. It'll help with yer trainin'," he tells her as he continues to rub the oil in.

"Niiiiiice! I think I feel my skin tingling already!" She smiles as she watches.

"Rubbin' the oil on yer body will draw in all kinda power from all around ya. Over time, you'll learn ta feel it in yer skin. And once ya know how ta recognize that feelin', that sensation, eventually you'll be able ta draw in the energy without any oil at all. But there's a risk," he tells her as she starts showing characteristics of a toad, which starts to freak her out. Even more so when she saw her reflection she screams. "If ya ain't learned how ta control nature's power, ya start turnin' into a toad." He forms some seals and summons a stick.

"Heeeeelp!" Naruto panics while the twins jaw drops, wincing when they watched the old toad hit their mother over the head with the stick, making her grunt out. "Ouch! What the he-" She looks at him. "I-I'm back to normal."

"It's all about balance. 'Spiritual energy,' 'physical stamina,' 'nature's power.' Ya can't use Senjutsu without keepin' all three in perfect harmony!" He smiles at her.

"Balance?" She stares at him.

"Ya already know how ta balance yer spirit and physical energy ta make Chakra fer Ninjutsu, but addin' nature's energy into the mix, an' keeping all three balanced? That's damn near impossible," he tells her. "If ya ain't got enough, ya can't use hermit arts. Too much, and that natural energy'll turn ya into a frog. As long as ya don't go too far, I can return ya ta normal. But if ya get overwhelmed by the power of nature, you'll be stuck as a frog fer the rest of yer life," he warns her and she gulps.

"What I meant by 'die' is that if you tried it yourself, you'd probably be toast," Gamakichi tells her.

"Those who become frogs really become one with nature. Those statues there are people who failed this trainin'," Fukusaku says as he uses the stick to point to the statues.

"They were all…" she stops as she stares at them.

"Try ta relax, I'll be with ya. My club here knocks the natural energy outta whoever I hit. I'll give ya a good whack whenever ya start turnin' into a frog!" He smiles at her. "And lemme tell ya, even Jiraiya-chan couldn't fully master this. When he'd generate Chakra for Hermit arts he'd turn into a frog just a little bit, and it was still what I'd call impressive progress." He watches as she stares at him intently, following everything he says. "Ya didn't seem ta be intimidated by anythin' I've said, but I'll ask one last time, whatcha say, girl?"

"My way of the Ninja, is the same as Ero Sennin's!" She says as she punches her fist into her hand, smirking.

"Aaaatta girl!" He grins at her.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Here's another chapter for my lovely readers, I hope that you will enjoy it and I'm sorry if the last one had some tearful moments but in the end it was comedic.

 **Melyway:** Love the one word reviews, would love for you to expand it a little but owell.

 **Chapter Twenty-Two**

Naruto was sitting by the small waterfall of oil as she was meditating, trying to control the Natural energy in the air. Her face suddenly morphs and starts showing a resemblance to a frog; suddenly Fukusaku decides to hit her with his long stick, drawing a cry from her as her back stiffens up as she sits there in her bikini. "Argh! Tomorrow I'll be bleeding internally all over!" She shrieks out as she rolls over back and forth.

"What are you giving up already? Jiraiya-chan didn't complain like this," the old toad taunts as she grunts at him.

"Hey! I know a better way to do this!" She smirks at him.

"What do you mean?" He asks her.

"I'll use Kage Bunshin," she smiles tiredly. "That way I'll get more experience faster!"

"You experience everything your clones' experience. So if one of them were to turn into a frog, that'd be the end of it!" He tells her.

"I know that," she says as she rubs her head.

"No more than four! My staff can't keep up with more than that!" He warns her as Gamakichi starts waking up from his nap. He saw four Naruto's who are steadily getting whacked over the head by the elder toad.

"This isn't whack-a-mole! You're supposed to be training! I can't last like this!" The toad yells at her.

"Damn it," she whimpers out as she rubs her swollen head. The old toad gasps and whacks her again. "Ow! My face looks like this from being hit, not 'cause I'm turning into a frog!" She growls at him. "Ooh…ow, ow, ow…I didn't think it would be this hard just learning to feel natural energy," she groans as she rests her chin on the steps.

"True strength comes from hard training," he tells her.

"I know that! Anyone'd stick with it if it meant getting as strong as that Pervy sage," she says as she stares back at him.

"No, it would be useless," Fukusaku tells her, making her face screw up in confusion. "This training isn't just something anyone can do. This is about you and Jiraiya specifically; otherwise I wouldn't have brought you here."

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"You have to have enormous amounts of Chakra; otherwise you won't be able to draw on natural energy. That's how great it is," he explains. "Furthermore, only those who are gutsy and don't give up can become sages." Him saying this made her grin widely and hop up onto her feet.

"Okay! Let's do it!" She shouts and jumps into the oil.

"Idiot! Are you trying to kill yourself!?" He shouts at the girl. After a while, Naruto has a grin on her face.

"I can see it!" She shouts to the elder toad.

 _'Looks like she's finally able to sense Natural Energy a bit,'_ he smiled at the girl.

"I did it! I did it!" She jumps and cheers.

"Naruto, why don't we take a break for lunch?" He tells her and they all go to his house where his wife has prepared them a meal where Naruto stares down at it, hating that she has to eat bugs again. "Eat up! After lunch, you're going to try lifting one of those stone frogs."

"O-okay!" She grits out as she is starving but doesn't know if she could stomach the bugs. After they ate Fukusaku took her back and stared at the girl who is kneeling down trying to keep the contents of her stomach down. The twins were eating on some cookies that the old toad made for them, even Futarou is enjoying them.

"Now, you're going to lift a stone frog, so first try lifting it using just your Ninja Chakra," he tells the girl as she burps again.

"R-right," she stood up and walked over to the statue before closing her eyes and gathering the Nature Energy around her. "Okay!" She started to grip the statue but as she struggled she realized that she's not doing enough. "Ohhhhhhhhh! It won't budge!"

"That's enough!" He tells her and looks at her while she leans over and pants. "Okay, now try to draw on your sage Chakra!"

"Okay!" She says as she walks over to the pool of toad oil that is close by, sticking her hand in it. She then walks back to the statue and starts to meditate to gather the energy. Once it started to fill her, her eyes changed to that of a toad.

"Okay! Now, give that stone frog another try!" He demanded and she grips onto it again.

"Okay!" She grunts out as she starts putting her all into lifting the statue, lifting it up above her head.

 _'She's getting the hang of this quicker than Jiraiya did,'_ he thought as he felt pride from watching her. "Way to go, Naruto!"

"I did it! I lifted it!" She shouts as she knocks over the statue and jumps around.

"Dummy! Don't knock it over! What've you done to our ancestor!" Gamakichi shouts at her.

 _'And she's more foolish than Jiraiya, too,'_ the old frog says as he impatiently watched her bounce around.

~3~

"It looks like you've mastered using the oil," Fukusaku says as he smirks at the girl who has just finished meditating underneath the water fountain of oil. "Now you must practice controlling the natural energy without relying on the oil."

"I feel strength welling up inside me!" Naruto says with glee as she jumps out of the oil and lands on top of the frog statue that is producing it.

"Ninja techniques exhaust you the more you use them, since you're using your own Chakra. But sage techniques take in the natural energy from outside, so rather than becoming exhausted, you actually recover more quickly," he tells the girl as he looks up at her.

"I get it," she smiles as she stares down at him.

 _'Well, the demon fox's Chakra makes the recovery even faster,'_ the old frog thought.

"Maybe now I can do it," she tells him.

"Do what?" He asks.

"Huh!? Oh! Um! Nothing!" She starts panicking when she realizes that she spoke out loud.

"Well, anyway, I wanted to give you this," he says as he brings a book out from his pocket.

"What is it?" She asks as she hops from on top of the statue.

"A book," he tells her.

"A book?" She stares at it in confusion.

"This is the first story Jiraiya wrote. Jiraiya's heart is in this book," he tells her as he frowns, making her slowly reach for the book. "Read it."

"The legend…of the gutsy Ninja," she reads the title out loud as her heart twinges.

~3~

Hours later, Naruto is lying down on her stomach, still wearing her bikini while reading the first book that Jiraiya wrote. Tears were in her eyes as she finally finished it at turned the page to see the picture of her teacher, he was winking in the photo. As a tear falls from her eyes, she closes her eyes and memories of him fill her thoughts.

~3~

"Sasuke said he was cutting his ties to me in order to grow stronger, that I didn't understand anything about him," Naruto says as tears rush down her cheeks while she's resting on a huge rock by a shrine, her stomach just barely starting to show so she's already starting to wear clothes to cover it. The two have decided it would be best for them to stick around the priest grounds and the holy mountain's while she's pregnant and then afterwards continue their journey so that she can be trained. "You and Orochimaru used to be friends, right? Why'd he leave the village and then try to destroy it?"

"Orochimaru changed after his parents were killed. He became obsessed with learning forbidden techniques," Jiraiya tells her as he knows why she asked him and is willing to use his life as an example towards her. He didn't know how it will be once she gives birth but he hopes that the both of them and the multiple Shinobi that the Fifth sent with them would find out then. He knows the girl is in love with Sasuke and is dreading on telling her about him and Orochimaru but knows that it might help her to see what could happen between her and Sasuke. "He may have wanted to see them again, or take revenge on Konoha for forcing them into the situation that got them killed, and I don't know what it's like to have your parents killed. He said the same thing to me. That I didn't understand anything about him. Maybe he was right, maybe I didn't," he stopped and noticed that more tears were rushing down her cheeks. "But even still, I can tell that hatred is becoming the dominating force in the Shinobi world."

"Hatred…" she mused as she thought about it deeply.

"I want to do something about that hatred, I still haven't figured out what that should be, though," he says with a smile. "But someday, someday an age will come where we all truly understand one another!"

"Sounds like a big job," she says as she smiles back at him.

"If I don't end up finding the answer, I'm leaving the job to you!" He tells her.

"Yes, sir! If you want me to do it, how can I refuse?" She asked as she saluted him, making a huge roar of laughter erupt from him. "What? What's so funny?"

"That smile of yours is gonna save us all," he tells her as he saw a few of the monks smile at them as they walked on by. They noticed the young girl was smiling and enjoyed it since she hasn't really been full of joy lately; it seems that she might actually be leaving her sadness behind her and trying to make the best of it which made them happy. A pregnant woman should always be full of joy before the babies are born. "I'm glad I took you on as my pupil!" Jiraiya tells her honestly, as he feels like she's more of a granddaughter to him than ever now.

"R-really!?" She blushes as she rubs the back of her head.

"But I haven't given up yet!" The man says with a determined voice as he now holds a brush in his hand, he holds up a book to show her and she stares at it with confused eyes. "My plan is to change the world through my novels!"

"No one's gonna buy that thing," she tells him wryly.

"You ignorant brat! This'll sell like hotcakes! And when it's the #1 book in the world, I won't sign your copy no matter how much you beg!" He shouts at her.

"Like I'd even want it!" She glares back at him.

~3~

 _'Because you've already given me something more important,'_ Naruto thought as she stared at his photo. Naruto gets up and goes back to training, sitting on top of one of the statues drawing in nature energy until her face starts to morph, which ends up making the elder frog hit her over the head, "Ow!" Naruto shouts.

"Can't ya focus more? Yer body's still movin' a lil'. Remember, the key is ta stay still!" He tells her as she groans and rubs her head.

"I didn't think it was gonna be this hard without the oil!" She groans out.

"O' course it is! Bein' done with the oil don't mean yer on easy street now!" He shouts at her. "Ya can't move a millimeter!"

"About that, I've been thinking," she tells him, drawing a grunt from him. "Why can't I just carry some of the oil with me for when it's time to fight? Then I won't need to learn how to take in natural energy on my own."

"Ain't gonna work," he tells her.

"Why not?" She asks.

"Outside 'a Myouboku's unique climate the oil immediately starts ta evaporate, and disappear," he tells her.

"Urk-really?" She gulps as her idea flushes down the drain.

"Like I told ya! The oil's just a tool ta help ya get the hang of it," he says.

"G-got it!" Naruto stutters out as she salutes him.

"Ya lack concentration, Naruto-chan! Ya ain't got what it takes yet!" He yells at her.

"Uhh, actually, I learned all about how to concentrate during my last training-" she says until he interrupts her.

"Come with me!" He yells and brings her to what looks like hills that look like they're made of spikes.

"Where are we?" She asks.

"This oughtta do it," he says and hops over to a pile of stone slabs, picking up two of them he jumps up the spikes. "Follow me, Naruto-chan!" He tells her and gets to the top, placing the slabs onto two of them balancing them and made her get onto one. She shrieks out as her slab is wobbling so much that she fears she might fall. "Stop yer flow as a livin' creature. Find the single point where ya can balance yerself and focus on harmonizin' with nature!" He stares at her, speechless as she wobbles so much she falls. He catches her with his tongue, making sure that she doesn't end up like the slab of stone that shattered upon impact.

"Wh-whew," Naruto stares down at the ground.

"Ya can't learn ta absorb nature's power until ya can 'stop.'" He tells her and she sets deep into her meditation, feeling the energy as it starts to fill her Chakra channels full. _'She's really doin' it, I can't believe she's performin' so well without the oil.'_ She opens her eyes, showing the perfected ratio for sage that most haven't been able to achieve. _'Yes! That dark pigmentation's the sign of a true sage. She did it! There ain't a single bit of frog transformation, neither! Maybe Naruto-chan's a sage ta eclipse even Jiraiya-chan! She's drawin' out more Senjutsu Chakra than he was with the oil, ta boot.'_ He smiles widely as he stares at the girls eyes. "What's it feel like?"

"Heh, it really does feel like being one with nature," she tells him as a bird lands on her shoulder, unbalancing her and making her fall. She screams as she falls down the whole time Fukusaku is grinning like mad. She falls and a loud bang thunders through the hills as a bunch of dust, dirt and rocks flies from her impact. "Owwww, wait a sec, that…didn't really hurt." She says as she rolls her shoulders as she doesn't even feel the pain she should from that fall.

"Yer in Sennin Mode, girl. Yer body's been 'activated' in a number of ways," Fukusaku tells her as he lands on a rock in front of her.

"Freakin' awesome, Sennin Mode!" She grins widely.

"Now that ya can enter Sennin Mode, we can start the final step," he says.

"F-final step!? You mean there's still more?" She cheers as she grins at him.

"A fightin' style usin' all that Senjutsu Chakra ya learned ta create. It's time for me ta personally pound th' art of 'frog-fu' inta ya!" He tells her as he continues to grin.

~3~

Naruto stands in a field not far from a stream that holds a small bridge. "I think I got it!" She says and deactivates the Sennin Mode, while she stares out at the darkened field. The twins are sleeping since it is night so she can train as much as she wants to. _'But it's not perfect yet, I need to keep practicing it in Sennin Mode, and I have to make sure no one sees me.'_ She thought as she knows the others are still deep asleep.

~3~

A group of seven appears on the outskirts of Konoha, the six Pein's and Konan stare out at the vast wall that surrounds the village. "Now we're going to split up, one group will cause a diversion and the other will do reconnaissance. Let's make sure we've got it sorted. Diversionary tactics are up to Demon Realm, animal Realm, and Hungry Ghost Realm. Reconnaissance is up to God Realm, Human Realm, and Hell Realm. Konan, you're on the Reconnaissance team as well," the leader of the group says.

"I know," Konan says with a somber voice.

"There's a spherical barrier protecting Konoha from all sides, including from above," he tells her.

"Any intruders will be sensed immediately," Konan says.

"As planned, we're going to launch Animal Realm above the village. That way they'll miscalculate our numbers and it will throw them off. Then we'll wait for Animal Realm's summons," he says as he starts to walk forward.

"Itachi and Kisame apparently got in without a problem," Konan tells him.

"But Itachi was with Konoha's assassination squad; he knew how to get through the barrier without setting it off," the man tells her. "I have my own way of doing things." One of the Pein's crouched down to get the only girl version to step onto the big hulks hands before he shoots her over the wall while she forms signs, making her able to get through the barrier.

"We have an invader!" One of the Shinobi's who is guarding the barrier's Jutsu orb tells everyone, making them widen their eyes. "The location is the West Gate, Sector I-B." The female form of Pein lands right in the middle of a small pathway inside of the village and as soon as she hits her palm onto the ground, the other forms show up.

"Scatter!" Pein says and every form shoots all over the place. The big hulk takes off his hand, showing little missals that he ends up shooting everywhere.

"What's that?" A villager asks as him and a few others were staring up at the missal. One of the missals lands on a building, drawing cries of pain and terror from the inhabitants. The female form speeds through her signs as she summons a large centipede that automatically starts destroying buildings.

"It's coming from every direction! What's going on!? I thought there was just one of them!" A man shouts.

"I'll use my Byakugan to check on it!" A member of the Hyuga clan says.

"Argh! The barrier team won't be enough! Contact the other teams and ask for help! Then let Hokage know! Hurry!" The man shouts at him. One of the Pein's is busy reading the mind of one of the Shinobi's he has caught.

"Looks like you don't know anything about the nine-tailed beast," he says before he rips the man's soul out, the body falling down with a thud. The leader of the Pein's stared down at Iruka.

"Where is the nine-tailed beast's host? Spit it out. If you don't, I'll kill you," he threatens.

 _'So that's it, he's 'Akatsuki','_ Iruka thought as he stares up at the man.

"Tell me," he demands.

"I won't tell you anything," Iruka says.

"I see," Pein says as he brings the spike down until Kakashi grabs a hold of it, stopping right before it could kill Iruka.

"So that was just a distraction so you could search without being noticed," Kakashi says as his Sharingan stares into the Rennegan eyes.

"Kakashi!" Iruka says as he looks up at the man with relief filled eyes.

"Take that injured man and get out of here. Leave this to me," he tells the other man as he turns his gaze a little to him over his shoulder.

"Right!" He says as he starts to pick him up off of the ground. "Good luck, Kakashi." He says and jumps off, making the enemy attack Kakashi as his back was turned. Kakashi ducks to avoid his kick and uses an Earth attack that brings a wall up that has four bull dog heads on it. Pein draws out one of his metallic poles and stabs Kakashi in the shoulder, drawing a grunt of pain from the man. The white haired male glares back at Pein and activates Chidori but before he could attack Pein with it power flows through the pole and disturbs the man's Chakra flow. When he finished attack him he noticed that Pein moved his head to the side, making his fist embed into the wall.

 _'What…was that!?'_ Kakashi wondered as he stared at the man.

"Hatake Kakashi the Copy Ninja, it's an honor to meet you," Pein says as he watched the man jump back after jerking his arm from the wall. "Where's the nine-tailed beast?"

"That's a stupid question," Kakashi tells him and activates Chidori again, but before he could attack Pein again he was pushed away by Pein's ability.

~3~

Naruto sat there sipping on some tea while the twins were eating cookies as snacks that granny frog set out for them. "Alright, I'm going out to get some fresh ingredients," Granny tells them as she winks from the door.

 _'I wonder if it'll be more gross stuff, yuck,'_ Naruto thought as she holds a panicked look on her face.

"Be sure to bring back something hearty!" Fukasaku tells her. "Now that you can use Sage Chakra, and you've mastered the Frog Katas and sage techniques to some degree, there's just one last thing I want to say."

"Wh-what? Why d'you sound so serious?" She asks him.

"Well, sage mode is risky," he tells her.

"Risky," she states and starts to worry.

"That's right, it's only once you've fully grasped the risk that you can unleash the full power of sage mode!" He tells her sternly.

"What's the risk?" She asks.

"First of all, I think you realize this, but you can't stay in sage mode for extended periods of time," he says. "In order to gather the natural energy necessary for sage mode, you can't move. Because of that, you can't use it in battle. If you don't move, you'll be an easy mark for your opponent. You can only use sage mode when you have a lot of allies who can give you time. If you absolutely must use it when you're alone, you'll have to momentarily retreat and find a place to gather the natural energy."

"What!? That's useless! Why'd I even bother learning!?" Naruto squeaks out.

"Don't let it get to you. That's why you have me, to help allay the risk," he says.

"What do you mean?" She asks.

"We fuse our bodies, it'll be okay!" He tells her and Naruto's imagination went haywire, picturing her looking too much like a frog, making her freak out and shriek. "I say fusion, but it will just be me stuck to your shoulder."

"Oh, okay, but how come fusing will make it okay?" She asks with a relieved look on her face.

"To put it simply, it's to separate 'silence' and 'movement'. While one moves, the other can be still and absorb natural energy. When Jiraiya was in sage mode, he fought with the two of us on his shoulders, too."

"I see, so that's how it works," she says as she rubs her chin with a grin on her face.

"Anyway, don't worry, Naruto!" He says as he holds his webbed fingered hand up to give her a high five.

"Okay!" Naruto cheers as their hands make a slapping sound.

~3~

The hulk form of Pein opens his skull up to reveal the missile launchers inside of it. When he launched them it did more damage to the surrounding buildings, alerting a good portion of the Shinobi. "What was that?" Ino wondered before she found out what was going on and ran to notify her father. "Dad! The village!" As her father's eyes widened, the Hokage is told that the village is under attack.

 _'So he's finally here,'_ she thought as she looked outside at the cloud of smoke that came from the buildings that exploded. She thought of Jiraiya and what Fukasaku said about Naruto, and then her memories went to Dan and her little brother Nawaki before they settled down on Naruto and her necklace that she gave the girl. "Put out an emergency warning, and…" she pauses before she looks at them. "Call Naruto back."


	23. Chapter 23

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing the fluffiness.

 **A/N:** Sorry it took me a little to get the last chapter out. I was having a little bit of issues and had to go to the doctor who set me up on some meds that have got my schedule all fucked up. *Le sigh* I have been trying a new program out to see how well it fits my drawings and I can say that it is perfect, so I will probably be working on it every so often as well. Anyway, I hope you love this next chapter.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it; I hope that the next few will draw you in some more since it's about the attack on the village.

 **Melyway:** Oh, I am, and enjoying all the new action I get to write about.

 **Chapter Twenty-Three**

People were starting to run, panicking as they were trying to get away from the explosions, not caring if they were trampling people. Before a little girl could get attacked by the huge centipede, Sakura jumps right in front of it and punches it with her monstrous strength. "Bastaaaaard! Are you okay!?" She quickly turns and asks the old woman and little girl.

"Y-yeah," the little girl says.

"Thank you!" The old woman tells her, looking at the girl quickly as she cries out from the scrape on her knee.

"The centipede's dead, I guess that girl killed it," one of the Shinobi's say as they stare down at Sakura and the other two.

"Oh good, your wound wasn't that deep," Sakura says as she starts to heal the girl.

"Thanks," the little girl says as she smiles at her.

"Sakura!" Iruka calls out to her as he lands not too far from where she lives. "Are you okay?"

"Iruka," she quietly says as she looks up at him. "What the hell's going on?"

"It's 'Akatsuki'! They're attacking Konoha to try and find Naruto!" He tells her.

"'Akatsuki'!?" Her eyes widen.

"I've already told Tsunade, there'll probably be an announcement soon," he says as his face stays on the serious side.

"I never thought they'd attack us directly," she says as she looks down, right as another explosion hits from a little bit off from where they were at.

"Come on, Iruka!" One of the Shinobi's yells at him while the girl is shrieking from the ground.

"You get to the hospital and tend to the wounded, the place is already filling up," Iruka tells her over his shoulder as he starts running to the Shinobi's.

"Okay!" She tells him.

~3~

Inside of the Hokage's office, a frog stares at the Fifth, "Alright! I'll go fetch Naruto!"

"Thanks!" Tsunade tells him.

"No, leave Naruto at Myobokuzan," Elder Koharu tells the frog.

"What!?" Tsunade growls out at her.

"According to Danzo, the leader of 'Akatsuki' is heading the attack, and they're after Naruto," Homura says as he stares at the woman through his glasses.

"So what?" Tsunade grits out.

"I overlooked it last time, but this is different. Naruto is still a child! This is the man who killed Jiraiya!" Koharu scolds the younger woman. "If Naruto is defeated and the nine-tailed fox falls into their hand-" She was interrupted when Tsunade grabs the collars to their Kimono's and drags them closer. "Wha! What are you doing!?" She whimpers out as Tsunade goes through her memories of Naruto and Jiraiya. What the elder frog said to her about the girl. "H-hey! Let go of me, Tsunade!"

"We're your advisors, who do you think you are!?" Homura sternly says as he couldn't believe the woman would do this to them.

"Who do you think you are!? You can't treat her like a child forever!" Tsunade shouts at them.

"Wha-!?" Koharu says as she shakily stares back at the furious woman.

"She has inherited the spirit of Konoha! And she's growing up! She's going to surpass Jiraiya! She's not a hidden weapon to keep Konoha out of war! Uzumaki Naruto is one of the Ninja's who protect this village!" Tsunade shouts and releases them as they grunt out. "Do you know what Jiraiya and Sarutobi and Chiyo of Sunagakure had that you don't!?" She asks them as they stare up at her speechlessly, while the others in the office are quietly listening to what she has to say. "Faith!" She thought of the fact that Naruto is hard at work at training while staring down at the two elders who are starting to make her sick just at the sight of them. "Just like my grandfather, the First Hokage, had faith in you and entrusted you with the village!" She thought of all of the villagers that are either fighting or protecting the others. "Now it's your turn to have faith in these children and entrust it to them!" The two elders wouldn't even say anything to her as they stood back up, until Koharu almost got to the door.

"Do as you like," she says as they hurry to leave the room.

"Tsunade!" Shizune calls for her boss as she looked at the two elders who do not even want to look her in the eyes.

"Shizune! Did you find anything out?" She asks the young woman.

~3~

' _What…was that move?'_ Kakashi thought as he started removing himself from the rubble. _'It didn't feel like a shockwave, what was it!? Everything around him was blown away.'_ He thought as he stared back at the man and activates his Chidori again. _'What about this?'_ Kakashi wonders as he creates a Jutsu where his lightning forms a dog that runs up and almost hit the man until it was released. _'So it repels both physical attacks, and Ninja techniques. Impressive, now what should I do?'_ He wonders as he stares through is Sharingan activated eye when another form crashes down behind him. "Another one, eh?"

~3~

"Look at this!" Shizune tells the Hokage. "It's a sort of receiver that picks up Chakra signals. They were stuck all through Pain's body. According to Fukasaku, all six Pain's had these piercing their faces and bodies."

"In other words, they all move according to these Chakra signals they receive?" Tsunade asks. "A receiver, eh? Or maybe it's a way for them to transmit Chakra between them."

"And this is responding right now," the younger woman says as she holds the rod out to the Hokage. "I'm sure this has something to do with the secret of Pain's strength. Once we have the information from the interrogators, we can solve this!"

"According to the information bureau, they're looking for Naruto. Pain is the one who's invaded the village, no doubt about it," Tsunade tells her. "We'd better let Fukasaku know about this, too. Be sure to tell him when you get Naruto!"

"Got it!" The frog says with a thumb up sign.

"Shizune, you tell the interrogators what you've learned. Find out who Pain really is!" Tsunade says and points at the young lady.

"Right!" Shizune says.

"I want a Black Ops squad guarding Shizune! And send one to guard the interrogators as well! Don't let him near them!" She tells an ANBU Shinobi.

"Right!" He says.

"I'll be upstairs waiting for info and helping Katsuyu with the wounded! Protect the village at all costs!" She shouts out orders. "Let's go!" They all head for the door and it slams shut behind them.

"Okay! I'd better hurry back to Fukasaku!" The frog says as he makes signs but is killed while making them.

"Now the nine-tailed fox is out of the way," Danzo says as he stares down at the impaled frog.

~3~

Konan walks over to the body that she just wrapped with paper and takes the paper off of the man's mouth, making him pant out. "Where is Uzumaki Naruto?" She asks him and he smiles.

"Drop dead," he tells her and her face doesn't look so amused. One of the Pain's has an orb around him that is catching all of the Jutsu that is shot at him, absorbing it.

"He's…absorbing all our Jutsu," one Shinobi says.

"We've gotta revert to direct attacks," his friend says.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto in the village or not?" One of the forms asks a Shinobi as they stand before hell's gate.

"I…don't know," he grits out as more Shinobi's around them are groaning or dead.

~3~

Tsunade summoned Katsuyu and stared up at her huge friend. "Attach yourself to every injured Shinobi and citizen you find! Then use my Chakra to heal their wounds!" She shouts up at her.

"It looks as if the village is in great danger," she says as she stares out amongst all of the destruction.

"Just get to work!" She shouts at her.

"As you wish," she tells her and splits her body up into multiple smaller slugs.

' _I will protect the village from anything and everything, as Hokage!'_ Tsunade thought as she stared out at the village.

~3~

"Over there," Chouza tells the Shinobi that are with him. "Move it!" He shouts and watches as Kakashi attacks the hulky form of Pain with his Chidori.

' _Gotcha!'_ Kakashi says as he goes through with his Jutsu but the man ducks to avoid it. _'He couldn't even see me and he still-'_ He stops what he says when he saw another Pain and remembered what Fukasaku said to him. _'And Jiraiya-sama took on all six at once, talk about ridiculous, yeesh,'_ Kakashi complains in his head and noticed that one of the Pain's is unfastening his cloak, making his eyes widen. Suddenly, the hulk's head switches from the smiling face to the angry face as he rips his cloak off and shows his mutilated form underneath. Six arms and one saw like blade that is sticking out of his back. The leader of the Pain's raises his hand and uses his ability to pull Kakashi towards him. _'I'm being pulled-'_ He stops his train of thought as his body sped towards the men. _'So that's his power!'_ He rummages inside of his pouch for his chain and swings it to grab a hold of the nearest broken pillar that he could. _'I have no chance against Pain by myself. I've gotta call for backup somehow, and tell them how his power works! I'll just have to do what I can.'_ He thought as he stops himself from being sliced into by the huge saw, though it didn't help since the saw flipped towards him and sliced right through his midsection. He ended up using an electric shadow clone to take his place and it showed what it was as soon as it was impaled, shocking Pain.

' _Raiton shadow clone,'_ Pain thought as he stared at the space the clone was. He suddenly started to move as huge arms pummeled down on top of him and his other form, destroying it in the impact.

"That's one down, Kakashi," Chouza said as him and Chouji came to his rescue.

"I had a back-up plan prepared, but you just saved me a whole lotta Chakra," he tells them as he climbs out of the rubble.

"Are you ok, Kakashi?" Chouza asks.

"Somehow," Kakashi says as he stares back at his friend.

' _A trap Bunshin, it was already set up,'_ Pain mused as he observed his opponents.

' _He already worked out what his opponent's ability was and set up a Bunshin Kawarimi. Kakashi's habits haven't changed since last time I teamed up with him, he's full of clever tricks, as usual,'_ Chouza said as he looked at his friend over his shoulder. _'Though that means,'_ he stopped as he walked over to Kakashi. "Kakashi, how's your Chakra level?"

"I used a Raikagebunshin so I have about half my Chakra left. Honestly, fighting this type of opponent for a long time will be tough," Kakashi told him as he walked closer. "However, I think I've worked out a little of his ability." As he finished saying this, the leader started running towards them.

"Dad! Here he comes," Chouji warns him and all the squad starts setting up an attack that they were all aiming for the leader.

"Shinra Tensei," Pain says and activates his push ability, sending their attacks off. Chouji sends some Kunai at him with a grunt, making Pain dodge it, drawing Kakashi's attention to the fact that he wasn't using his ability at that point, to prove that he throws another Kunai at Pain. Pain pushed it not even noticing that there was a smoke bomb attached to it.

"What did he do?" Chouza asked his friend.

"He deflects all attacks," Kakashi told him. "He has the ability to pull and push things from his center. It seems he controls gravity and repulsion forces. He doesn't seem able to use it in quick succession though there seems to be an interval before he can use it again."

"Everyone was floored by the last attack. If he can deflect everything, how can we beat him?" Chouji complains.

"The interval is short, we can't get close to him," Chouza tells Kakashi.

"But we have to aim for that. I have an idea; can I count on you guys?" Kakashi asks as he doesn't take his eyes off of Pain. Pain's attention flew to the ground under his feet as it starts to crack. Kakashi comes out of the ground, trying to stab his Kunai into Pain's chest but right before it would go into his chest, the man uses his ability and pushes him into the ground.

"You move well, you also have an array of Jutsu. Failing to kill someone like you would mean trouble for me in the long run," Pain says as he starts drawing a pole out of his sleeve.

' _Now!'_ Kakashi thought and Chouji spins towards the both of them with his boulder attack, his father doing the same attack.

"Too slow," Pain said and holds his hands up to block the attack, sending the both reeling back as they end up grabbing chains that were buried where they could grab them in the dirt. The chain swarms around Pain, squeezing him tight. _'Hatake Kakashi, so, you laid these chains in the ground before attacking me, huh?'_ Kakashi flares up his Chidori, yet again as the other two hold the chains that are wrapped around Pain.

"Do it, Kakashi!" Chouza thought as he watches his friend get closer with his attack. Before he could hit him the hulky form blocked the attack, staring at them with a sick smile on his face. _'It's the other Pain! How can he still move?'_ Chouza wondered as everyone stared at the hulk.

' _C'mon,'_ Kakashi thought as he pushed the attack through the hulk to get to Pain.

~3~

Naruto lay on top of a huge leaf, staring up at the sky as she watched the birds fly overhead. "So here you are! Naruto-chan! When you go off by yourself, where is it you go?" Fukasaku asks.

"Nowhere, just around, chilling out," she tells him as she sits up to talk to him.

"Ok, we're gonna practice fusion now, so get down here," he tells her.

"I wonder if they're alright." Naruto mused.

"What?" He asks her.

"Akatsuki are after me, right? I was thinking, they might head to Konoha to look for me," she mumbled as she stared down at the leaf she was perched on.

"Are you dumb?! There are lots of excellent Ninja in Konoha, don't think too much! You should be doing what you need to be doing. If anything was wrong they would send us a messenger frog," he tells her, reassuring her enough to get a smile from her.

"Alright! Ok, let's have a crack at fusion," she shouts.

~3~

Kakashi stares out amongst the debris from the attack that Pain just let loose. There was more damage to the area and Kakashi now is bleeding from his head. "Seems like you really can't move," Pain says as he stands on top of the rubble, staring at the man who is pinned beneath some of the rubble. All around them, you could see the Shinobi that were fighting Pain, lying down on the ground. "Seems like you're not a Bunshin, now I'll have you die. This is the end." He says as he moves a little bit closer until he reached a board that has nails sticking out of it. _'Just in case, I'll keep my distance.'_ Pain thought as he used his ability and one of the nails started moving, wiggling loose. The nail finally wiggled loose and flew up into his hand. "Know Pain!"

"I can't dodge from this range," Kakashi tells him as he stares back at him through the Sharingan activated eye. Pain projects the nail, hitting Kakashi straight on.

~3~

All around, you could see the smaller versions of Katsuyu moving around, healing the injured Shinobi while Tsunade sits amongst the center of the circle where four ANBU is guarding her. _'I had no idea there were so many casualties,'_ she thought as Danzo is walking around inside of his base in the village.

"Luckily, thanks to this commotion, I've been able to escape Tsunade's surveillance. 'Akatsuki' are good for something after all," he says as he looks at the rows of the Root ANBU. "Now Tsunade's rule is at an end, but we can't let 'Akatsuki' have the nine-tailed beast. So I've removed that possibility. We'll wait down here until things calm down up above."

"Shouldn't we help out, too? It'll be meaningless if you're in charge, but the village and the people are gone," one of his men says.

"The princess did become Hokage, after all. With Katsuyu's techniques, she'll be able to prevent total annihilation, but there will still be some casualties, but those are a necessary sacrifice for us," Danzo tells them. "In order for me to become Hokage."

~3~

Pain looks at the destroyed form of one of his forms and turns away. _'Dad! Kakashi-sensei!'_ Chouji groans as he laid there. In the interrogation halls, you could see Inoichi and Ino with a bunch of other people who are in the process of finding out more about Pain.

"Excuse me!" Shizune shouts to get their attention as they were concentrating on the contents of the man's mind. "It's me, Shizune! I'm here on the Hokage's orders!"

"Did you find anything?" Morino Ibiki asks.

"Yes! I'll explain in a minute. With my info and whatever you discover here, we can figure out the truth about Pain!" She yells.

"Ooh, ooh, dad," Chouji cries as over his father's form. "You were protecting me."

"You can cry…later…Chouji," Kakashi says as he looks over at the young man looking worse than ever. "If…you can still move…tell Tsunade…about Pain's powers. You have to figure out a way to fight him!"

"Ka-kashi-sensei?" Chouji stutters out in shock as he thought the man was dead.

"Save your surprise for later! You have to tell her about Pain, run!" Kakashi says.

"I…I," he stutters out more.

"Don't let Choza's sacrifice have been for nothing!" He shouts at him.

"You sure are persistent," the hulk says to them.

' _Damn it! Not again!'_ Kakashi thought as he watched the missile came out of the back of his crumbled form. _'Damn it! Is he after Chouji!?'_

' _Dad, thank you, watch me!'_ He thought to his father as he stared down at his father.

"Run, Chouji!" Kakashi shouts at the man, jolting the man who starts running, instantly. _'With my current Chakra level, his whole body is out of the question, and…if I use it again, that'll be the last of my stamina and my Chakra…and without a doubt…I'll die!'_ He thought as he activates the Mangekyou. _'But right now, I have to entrust the living with this info! That's…the best thing I can do right now to save Konoha!'_ He thought as he watched the missile as it heads straight for the young man, before it could hit Chouji it disappears.

' _So he used his powers for that, too,'_ Pain thought as he stares at the white haired male.

' _Well…it looks like…this is it for me. Obito…Rin,'_ Kakashi pants and gasps out as he breaths for the last time.

~3~

Naruto stands there watching as the elder frog falls down, yet again after they tried to fuse together. "L-let's give it one more try," Fukasaku says and hops on top of Naruto's feminine shoulder. _'Amphibian sage technique!'_ The frog puts his hands together, concentrating on combining their Chakra together. Inside of Naruto, the Kyuubi is roaring, furious that the frog would even think that she would allow him to fuse with her kit. She boosts her Chakra at the split second and the frog repels as the fusion fail's yet again. Naruto stares down at the frog, speechless. "Looks like it's no use." He chuckles.

"No use!?" Naruto whines.

"I think it's probably the nine-tailed beast within you rejecting me," he tells her.

"No way! What's all this training been for, then!? What're we gonna do!?" Naruto shouts at him.

~3~

The forms of Pain were still running rampage through the village as one starts running on the rooftop while the other summons another creature. Shizune is still talking to the interrogation squad, explaining about the rods. "So that's pretty much it!"

"Are they transmitting Chakra to each other, then? It sounds similar to our clan's secret technique," Ino says as she frowns about the situation.

"The master of the six paths, one of the first Ninjas, used the Rinnegan. If he really exists, he could use any technique," Ibiki explains right before the whole building starts to shake. "What was that!?"

"Looks like he's shown up here, too," one of the ANBU explains as one of his own comrades is on the roof fighting the one who summons. The man slices up the summon with a wind technique as his partner forms signs to use lightning, bringing out four pillars around the summoning. Another ANBU uses Earth to trap the creature inside of a boar like sealing jar.

"Did we get him!?" One asks as him and another joins the one who used the jar on the creature, who at that point bursts out of it and roars loudly at the three on the ridge.

"What!? It's…got even more heads," the man stutters out as he is staring at it in shock.

"Must be a special summoning, don't waste time on it. Let's search for the Ninja!" The squad leader tells them. The female summoned another creature that crashes through the wall of the Interrogating hall.

"What was that!?" Ibiki shouts as they stare at the lizard that holds a form of Pain inside of its mouth.

"So this is it," Pain says as she looks at the small rod in Shizune's hand.

' _Huh!?'_ Inoichi stares at the creature as a bunch of Katsuyu's bounce right into the room.

"Looks like I'm just in time," the slug says as she expels Shizune from her body.

"Thanks Katsuyu!" Shizune says as she stares at the slug.

"Eek! What's that!? The enemy!?" Ino shrieks out.

"Calm down, that's the Hokage's Katsuyu summoning," Ibiki says, trying to reassure her.

"It's a strong summoning, everyone be careful!" The three ANBU that were fighting the other summon jumped down to join the others.

"No doubt about it, I saw her, when I was in the Amegakure guys mind," Inoichi says as they stare up at the woman. "But what's going on!?"

"What do you mean!?" Shizune asks.

"He was a corpse!" Inoichi says, confusing Shizune.

' _That corpse is now using a summoning spell! Pain's six forms can only use one technique each! Fukasaku said so himself, so there's no doubt about it! But this is weird! Fukasaku said the one brought in for an autopsy was the one who could summon! What's going on!? Jiraiya already defeated the Pain who could summon!'_ Shizune panics inside of her head. "Inoichi! Tell me more! Maybe we can figure it out!"

"But…" the man stops what he was going to say.

"Leave this to me and the assassins. You guys go somewhere else!" Ibiki tells his friend.

"Ibiki!" Inoichi stares at him.

"Let's go, Inoichi! We'll figure out the truth about Pain!" Shizune shouts as a figure pops out and stares at the destruction all around him. Konohamaru's eyes widen as he couldn't believe some people are capable of this kind of destruction.


	24. Chapter 24

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor any of the characters that were used in the anime/manga, I do love the way Naruto looks in my head with how I made her to look.

 **A/N:** I feel like it took me too long to get to this chapter, but I can say I'm enjoying writing it, emensly. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I did writing it.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it.

 **Melyway:** Naruto will be coming home, just have patience.

 **Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Is Uzumaki Naruto in the village, or not?" Pain asks two Shinobi that are now lying on the ground after he attacked them.

 _'Naruto!? I think Senpai knows where she is!'_ The one with glasses thought as he looks over at the man.

"She's a fellow Konoha Ninja, we don't betray our own!" The man tells Pain.

"Yes, yes, the 'will of fire'," Pain says as he lifts them up by their throats.

"What the-" the man grits out as he starts to choke.

"Refuse to answer my question and your lives are forfeit. I'll ask again," Pain says as he summons the door to hell.

"What the hell…is that!?" The man grits out as his body shakes from fear.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto in the village, or not?" Pain repeats.

"Go to hell, we don't know anything!" The man shouts out.

"We really don't! Let us go!" The Shinobi with glasses says.

"Very well, now, for your sentencing," Pain says as their souls start popping out, making the door open and spirit arms pop out to grab them. The hands rip their souls right out of their bodies, which instantly kills the higher ranking Shinobi, leaving his subordanant alive. "Your answer of 'I know nothing' was a truthful one," Pain tells the man he let live as he grunts before Pain throws his Sempai to the ground.

 _'What the hell is this!? He didn't do anything, and the guy on the left just froze up!'_ Konohamaru shakes as he watches from behind a corner. _'What's that guy's deal!? N-never mind, I need to get outta here, now!'_ He thought and turned too quickly, hitting his face on the wall that he forgot was behind him, grunting out which drew the attention of the Pain that was not that far away. _'Ohhh no! D-did he notice me?'_ He wondered as the Pain started walking towards his direction.

"You won't get away with this! You low-class hooligans will pay dearly for what you've done!" Ebisu says as he lands at a crouch in front of the Pain that is now dragging the Shinobi with him.

 _'Ebisu-sensei!'_ Konohamaru panics as he watches from around the corner where he was still hiding.

 _'This is your chance, Konohamaru-kun! Run!'_ The man thought to his student.

~3~

The summoner was facing off the Interogation squad, the dog-like summon reared one of its heads back and howls. "We need to meet up with the Cryptography Unit. We'll need the support of your techniques, Inoichi, and Ino's as well," Shizune tells the blond male.

"Got it," Inoichi says as he stares the beast down. _'Ino, it's me, we're going to rendezvous with the Cryptography Unit,'_ he tells his daughter through their link. As soon as he tells her this, their four man group starts bolting, drawing the Summoners attention to them.

"You'll have to get through me first," Morino says as he stares at them with an emotionless face.

~3~

"If we can't fuse, I'll have to figure out how to draw in Nature's energy while I'm moving!" Naruto tells the older frog as they are running side by side.

"That's impossible! I never thought yer comin' here'd have me doing this," Fukasaku tells her.

"Look, I'm not quitting! That's the only option left, so that's what we're doing!" Naruto shouts at him.

"I'm tellin' ya, it can't be done!" The old frog shouts back, making the girl stop and start panting. "S-sorry, I know it ain't pleasant ta hear it, but it's physically impossible," he tells her and wipes his face showing her the code on his back as he does.

"That code on your back is the last message Ero-sennin left me," Naruto pants out.

"I know, and thanks ta ya, it gave us a key ta figurin' out who pain i-" he stops when she interrupts him.

"Not that," she tells him as she smiles while panting. "'Never stop fighting,' that's what the message really said."

"I'm tellin' ya…" the frog stops as she is lost in her memories of her mentor.

"I'm his pupil. If that message is my master's way, then I…" she puffs out. "I have to follow it. No whining, no bitching!" She says as she points her thumb to her forehead.

"Ya couldn't be any more stubborn," the frog tells her.

~3~

 _'What…what do I do? Should I…yeah, I need to run,'_ Konohamaru wracks his brain as he hides around the corner from where Ebisu and one of the forms of Pain.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto in the village or not? Tell me everything you know, or you die," Pain says as he holds Ebisu up by the neck.

 _'Naruto-chan,'_ Ebisu thought of the past where every bit of the villagers were against her becoming a Ninja, then when they were bad mouthing her about taking Zabuza out. When she needed a master to train her he tried to, and the fact that she was able to join the Chuunin exams and beat Hyuuga. The fact that she protected the village against the Sand villages Jinchuuriki and went to go search for their new Hokage and in the process ended up fighting Orochimaru. The fact that the villagers were worried about her being upset about not being able to retrieve Sasuke, and the fact that they were worried about Akatsuki coming after her. The fact that she rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki made the villagers proud, and felt for her deeply when the Akatsuki killed Jiraiya. _'Naruto's inherited Lord Jiraiya's will, she's not giving up hope, she's pushing forward like she always does! Naruto, you are…'_ Ebisu smiled back at Pain. "She's our fellow Konoha Ninja! And I'll never hand her over to the likes of Akatsuki!"

 _'Ebisu-sensei!'_ Konohamaru stared at the man from around the corner with wide eyes.

"Very well, then," Pain says as Konohamaru remembers what he was taught by Naruto.

 _'It looks like this is it for me, I wonder if Konohamaru got away safely,'_ Ebisu wonders.

"Die," Pain says and then a Kunai stabs him in the arm, making him throw the man.

 _'Konohamaru!?'_ The man's jaw drops as he saw the boy standing there, defiantly.

"You've gotta deal with me now!" The teen says as he glares at Pain.

"Konohamaru! Why didn't you run away!?" Ebisu shouts at his pupil. "You could become Hokage someday! You can't throw your life away now!"

"I made a promise," the teen says as he smiles, confusing his sensei as he kept on remembering what Naruto told them when they were younger. "I promised Naruto, that someday we'd fight it out for the title of Hokage!" The man stares up at the teen, wondering what kind of bravery this could entail. "She's my rival! That's why I can't run away!" As soon as he says this Pain starts running towards the teen. "If I do, Naruto won't be there waiting for me!" He shouts as he starts forming signs.

~3~

Naruto is now running through the mushrooms, gathering all the Natural energy that she can until her face starts morphing into a frogs, making Fukasaku hit her over the head with his stick. "Ouch!" Naruto grunts and starts sliding on the ground, face first. "I can keep going!"

"Take a break, Naruto. I can't keep up with you like this," the old frog tells her, honestly.

"No! I've gotta keep going to make up for all the time I wasted before," she tells him.

"I've never done anything like this before. Running while trying to gather the Natural energy which requires such stillness, this is like trying to look left and right at the same time," he says as he closes his eyes.

"Oh!" Naruto shouts as she points at the frog with widened eyes.

"What is it?" He asks.

~3~

Tsunade's eyes widen, drawing the attention to one of her trusted ANBU Shinobi. "What is it?"

"I have Katsuyu attending to nearly everyone in the village," she tells him as she gets up and walks over to the railing. Suddenly, she gathers a little of her strength into her fist and punches one of the pillars to break it off, giving her a better view of the village.

"Wha!?" One of the other ANBU's says. "Tsu-Tsunade!?"

"Sorry, let's continue," she says as Chouji lands besides her.

"Hokage! We figured out one of the enemy's powers!" He shouts at her.

"Tell me," she says as she looks at the young man.

"This one is male, about 25-30. He has six nose piercings and seven in his ears. He uses some sort of power that's like gravitation and repulsion! He can draw anything towards him, and he can repel any attack!" He explains.

"Repel? Anything?" The ANBU asks.

"Yes! But there's about a five second interval after he uses his powers before he can use it again!" The young man explains.

"Only five seconds," the ANBU mumbles.

"Thank you for letting me know! We'll lose a lot fewer people now. Use Katsuyu to tell everyone else!" She tells her ANBU.

"Right!" They shout.

"Choza's team provided backup for Kakashi. There were two of the enemy and I think I'm the only one who survived," Chouji says as he stares down at the roof top.

"Go to Choza! If you get them to the hospital quickly, they might still have a chance," she tells him.

"What!?" He practically squeaks out as he stares at her through wide eyes. "You mean…my father's still…!?"

"Yes," she says and tears start forming in his eyes.

"Ooh…ooh…thank God! I'm so relieved!" He wipes his eyes until a thought came to him. "Kakashi…what about Kakashi!?" He asks and she looks down before she turns around.

"Hurry, Chouji," she says.

~3~

Down in the Mortuary, one of the forms of Pain is staring at the body of the previous summoner of their group. He picks up the rods that were in the corpse until he heard something move and stared down at what looks like a rolling aerosol can that is slowly rolling towards his foot. Suddenly, the can explodes and bright light flares out from it, sending the corpse on the table to crash into the wall on the other side of it. A woman and dog slide across the floor to a stop. "Mom! Above you!" Kiba shouts at his mother, pointing to the ceiling in the room as Akamaru woofs.

"I know!" She growls out as she stares at the man who is hanging from the corner of the ceiling.

"So he used the corpse as a shield," Kiba's mother's dog says.

"I knew it, just as we heard, this one doesn't like physical attacks!" She grits out.

~3~

Where Konan is wrapping people up in her papers you could see a bunch of bugs eating away at each piece of paper. Katsuyu is healing up the man that the papers are covered in as Konan stares blankly at them. "Shino, give it all you've got," Shibi tells his son.

"I will," he tells his dad as Konan lands on her feet.

~3~

"Let's take a break! I'm worn out from our mission!" Gai tells his team as they approach a small eatery that is close to the village and he starts getting this bad feeling in the pit of his stomachs.

"What's the matter, Gai," Lee asks.

"Have you noticed a lot of birds coming from the direction of the village? They seem to be trying to escape something," the man tells his teammate.

"I have a bad feeling, we should head for the village right away," Neji says.

"What!?" Ten Ten shouts.

"Let's go, guys!" Gai shouts as they all ignore the girl.

~3~

Tsunade sits in the center of the seal again as Pain jumps up and lands about fifteen feet away from them, shocking the ANBU that is protecting her. "Behind you!" One of them shouts as the others get ready to protect the Hokage. Tsunade looks over at the man who stares back at her.

"Six piercings in his nose and seven in his ears, it's him," another ANBU says.

"You," Tsunade says as she recognizes him.

"Long time no see, Tsunade. You're the only one left of the three Ninjas," he says as they stare at each other.

~3~

The Pain that Konohamaru is fighting raises his leg to kick the teen but it was dodged and he slides back to avoid any blows from him. _'Anyway, if he catches me, it's all over. He'll kill me with whatever that special technique of his is,'_ the teen thought as he holds himself in the ready position. He grunts out when his back hits the wall and the man grabs him around his throat, bringing out the door to hell.

"Konohamaru!" Ebisu shouts out as he rushes towards the two, making Pain raise his foot up to kick him in the throat.

"S-sensei!" Konohamaru shouts.

"Is Uzumaki Naruto in the village or not? Which is it?" Pain asks as Ebisu crashes into some of the rubble with a grunt.

 _'So you can only see this guy once he captures you!'_ Konohamaru observes as he stares at the man.

"Tell me," he orders the teen.

 _'Looks like you really didn't know, I'm starting to figure out his powers,'_ he thought as he gripped the mans wrists. "I don't know!" He grits out before his soul starts peaking out of his mouth.

 _'Konohamaru…'_ Ebisu groans as he tries to get up.

"Hurry up and tell me, if you don't, I'll kill you," Pain says and then the clone of Konohamaru's disappears. "A shadow clone," he stares at the puff of smoke that came from it.

 _'A high level technique whose three precepts are Chakra rotation, power, and stopping,'_ Konohamaru thought as he started creating the Rasengan behind Pain, with a clone who helps smash it deeply into Pain.

 _'Wh-when…did he learn that?'_ Ebisu wonders as he stares back at his pupil.

"I am a Genin of the Sarutobi clan, named after this village. I am Sarutobi Konohamaru! And don't you forget it!" He shouts down at the man.

~3~

"I've wanted to talk with you," Pain tells Tsunade.

"You're…that kid," she says as she pulls up what she remembers of him and his two friends.

"Looks like you remember me," he says.

"Do you know him?" One of the ANBU's asks her.

"A little," she says.

"Who is he?" Another asks.

"The God who will restore order," Pain tells them.

"He's not an ordinary Ninja, that's for sure," one ANBU says.

"Where is Uzumaki Naruto, where is the nine-tailed beast?" Pain asks.

"Who knows," Tsunade tells him.

"I've captured almost all the hosts. The Ninja villages have lost the equilibrium of the tailed beasts. It's no use hiding the nine-tailed beast. The fighting will start soon. The embers of war are already smoldering, and we will control the war. If you cooperate, I'll be willing to help you. You must be aware of the situation, of our power," he tells her.

"Don't underestimate the 5th Hokage. You're just a bunch of terrorists trying to destroy the stability our forefathers worked for! Whatever you say is meaningless!" She shouts at him.

"Don't be so haughty," he tells her.

 _'His Chakra's amazing,'_ one ANBU thought.

 _'Is this…the power of the Rinnegan!? I've never felt anything like it. I have a bad feeling about this,'_ the only female ANBU thought.

"Your peace results in violence towards us," Pain says.

"I'm not saying everything Konohagakure has done as been right! But I won't accept your way of doing things!" Tsunade grits out.

"Watch what you say, this is your last warning from God," Pain tells her. "Tell me where Naruto is."

"We will use everything we have to fight you! That is all! And you're wrong about one thing," she tells him. "You'll never get what you want most!"

"If you think Konoha's Ninja's can protect Naruto forever…" Pain stops when Tsunade interrupts him.

"That's not it," she says, confusing him. "Naruto is strong."

~3~

"There are six of Pain, each body can use one technique. That woman used a summon," Shizune says as her, Ino and Inoichi were crouching down inside of the Cryptology building. "That means the Pain that Jiraiya defeated was brought back in another body."

"And she was definitedly dead when she was brought to the tower in Amegakure," Inoichi tells her.

"When you saw the body, did she already have these piercings?" Shizune asked him.

"No, I'm sure she didn't," he tells her.

"It seems it's just like Fukasaku said, Pain has the power to revive the dead, and he can use any dead body he wants, controlling them with these Chakra receivers," she tells them. "It's possible everyone with these receivers as a dead body, and if there are receivers, there must be a transmitter. In other words, there's someone controlling the bodies, sending Chakra signals from the shadows. Maybe that's what the code meant. 'There is no real one'. None of those six bodies is the real Pain."

"What!? So you mean there's another one somewhere!?" Ino asks.

 _'I suspected as much, but I'd hoped my worst suspicions wouldn't be right,'_ Shizune thought.

"His Chakra levels must be pretty hight, he's able to control those corpses by Chakra alone," one of the ANBU says.

"It's a little like the Yamanaka clan's power, but we're only able to control one person at a time. There are six of Pain, are there six more controlling them?" Inoichi says.

"I don't know," Shizune says.

"Either way, if it's at all like our technique, he must be nearby, otherwise he wouldn't be able to exert that much control," Ino says.

"He must be hiding somewhere near the village. We have to let Tsunade know so she can send a team to search for him," Shizune says as Pain lands right in the middle of them.

"What!?" One of the ANBU panics as he looks at the man. _'I didn't even notice!?'_ Suddenly a smoke bomb was dropped, blowing up and making them escape the smoke that flared out from it. When the smoke clears, you could see the long haired version of Pain with Shizune's head under his hand.

"Don't make any sudden moves, or this girl dies," he tells the other three.

"Damn it!" Inoichi grits out and Shizune groans.

"Myoboku…zan," Pain says as he reads her mind.

"That's the same technique as Dad's! He can read her mind within seconds, even without any equipment!?" Ino asks as she starts panicking.

~3~

The Pain with Tsunade closes his eyes. "Looks like Naruto isn't here. Myobokuzan," he mutters.

 _'What!?'_ Tsunade's eyes widen.

"Myobokuzan, that's the frog village, isn't it? Looks like there's no reason to hang around here anymore," he tells everyone.

 _'How did he find out!?'_ One of the ANBU's wondered.

"You bastard," Tsunade says.

"Tsunade, we should let him go, and use that time to strengthen our protection of the village," the female ANBU whispers to her.

"Damn," she says quietly.

"And one last thing," Pain says. "The Chakra in your feet, is that to guard against my technique? I guess that means you know all about my powers. Everything is meaningless in the face of overwhelming power. You great nations have proven that. You…you think you're the only ones who matter. You think you can put off death, but peace has made you foolish and thoughtless. If you kill someone, someone else will kill you. Hatred binds you together.

"Enough of your nonsense," Tsunade says.

"War brings pain and injury and death to both sides," he tells her.

"The great nations have suffered, too. I've had enough of your accusations!" She shouts at him.

"Don't make me laugh," he tells her. "I want you to feel pain, to think about pain, to accept pain, to know pain.

 _'Does he still have something up his sleeve!?'_ Tsunade wonders.

"Those who don't know pain can never know true peace," he says as he jumps up high in the sky, shocking the Hokage and her ANBU unit.

~3~

The Pain with long hair, rips out Shizune's soul and just let's her body drop to the ground. "Shizune!" Ino shouts as she tears up, watching.

~3~

At the hospital Sakura is busy trying to heal everyone that she can. _'Damn it! I can't heal everyone at this rate!'_ She couldn't help but bite her lip as she heard all of the groans around her.

~3~

"Bad news, Fukasaku!" One of the tad poles came and run up to the old frog. "Kosuke, the one who was sent to Konoha, has been killed!"

"What!?" Fukasaku grits out as sorrow filled him while Naruto's eyes widen as she leans over panting, trying to get her breath back.

"His name disappeared from the list," the tadpole says.

"Does that mean something's happened to Konoha!?" Fukasaku shouts.

"What!?" Naruto starts glaring as she looks over at the elder frog.

~3~

The female Pain jumps up as the leader used his attack to start destroying the whole village. "It left?" One of the ANBU says.

"What's going on?" Ibiki wonders as he stares straight up at Pain.

~3~

Pain floated up in the air over the village, staring down at everything. While the summoner lands and brings the other forms out away from the village. "What's going on?" Konan asks.

"I'm going to do that," the female said to her.

~3~

"I'm counting on you! You have to tell her!" Fukasaku said to one of his frogs.

"Yes, sir!" The frog says to him and jumps into the pool.

~3~

"He was so scared of me, he ran away!" Tsume cheers with her dog smiling widely.

 _'Yeah, mom, just like with dad,'_ Kiba thought as he just sits on top of Akamaru.

~3~

"It looks like they've retreated," Shino tells his dad.

"Yeah, it seems kind of suspicious," Shibi says.

~3~

"Ooh," Ino mourns Shizune as all three of them with Katsuyu on their shoulders stands over it.

~3~

"I've got to hurry," the frog said as he gets out of the well.

~3~

"Thankfully, Shima's already out near Konoha gathering supplies. The three of us together can summon something pretty strong. Get ready!" Fukasaku tells the girl.

"Right," she agrees with narrowed eyes.

~3~

"What is this?" Shima asks as she looks out at the destruction that wrecking the whole village.

"Shima!" A frog hops up to where she is at. "Fukasaku sent me to tell you…!" He was interrupted by the old frog.

"We need a summons," she finished for him.

~3~

"Don't! That technique shortens your lifespan!" Konan shouts at him as she watches every form of Pain's fall to the ground but one. "So you're that determined to do it, Nagato."

~3~

"I will give the world more pain," Pain said as he stared down at the village.

~3~

 _'Kuchiyose no Jutsu,'_ Shima starts summoning.

~3~

"Pain!" Tsunade shouts as she tries to hurry and attack him.

"Shinra Tensei!" Pain used his attack and every bit of the town blew out from the inside out in a huge wave. Sakura was protected by Katsuyu as the blast stopped. Her eyes widen when she saw the entire village.

"Wh-what…happened? How? Why?" She asked as a tear fell from her eye. "Hurry back, Naruto! Naruto, please!" She screams out at the top of her lungs. At that moment in time, a huge cloud of dust flared out in the center of the crater that was originally the village. Naruto is standing there, with a new jacket to boot, and her eyes are flaring with the sage Jutsu. She stood on top of Gamakichi who is also on top of his father, Gamabunta. Two other huge frogs are standing right besides them. Pain hops down to the bottom of the crater, a good distance away from them as his vision flares up to stare at the group.

"Where are we?" Naruto wondered as she looked around at all the destruction.

"Where is the enemy!?" Gamabunta asks and they watch as Shima hops up to them.

"What's going on!? I thought I told you to summon us to Konoha!" Fukasaku scolds his wife.

"This is Konoha," Shima tells him and Naruto's eyes widen.

"What are you talking about, Shima!?" Gamakichi asks.

"Take a good look around," she tells them, just as the dust clears enough to reveal the Hokage Monument.

"It can't be!?" Gamabunta shouts out.

"It's obvious who's behind this," Shima tells them. "I feel the same presence as when I fought by Jiraiya's side." Naruto's eyes flare from being widened to glaring as she couldn't believe that her home has been so destroyed while she was gone.

~3~

Iruka groans as he falls from the protective cover of Katsuyu. "Iruka, are you okay!?"

"So-rry, it was all I could do…to surround everyone," Katsuyu apologizes.

"What…the hell is all of this?" Shikamaru grunts out.

"Are you okay, Shikamaru!?" His father asks as he holds his arm to his side.

"I guess so, my leg's broken though," he tells him.

~3~

Kakashi's body still laid there as Chouji was coughing from all of the dust as he watches them.

~3~

"Are you all right, Hinata?" Ko asks as he winces from the pain in his arm.

"Yeah, but we have to tend to your wounds, Ko!" Hinata says as she worries about him.

"It would be myy everlasting shame if anything were to happen to you while Hiashi and Hanabi were away. Don't worry about me," he tells her.

~3~

"Ow, ow, ow!" Kiba cries out.

"Hang in there, Kiba!" His mother stresses as she is worried about her son.

~3~

A huge slab of rock was moved so that Tsunade and her group could get out of where they were trapped inside. "Wh-what?" She practically whimpers out as she saw the destruction. "Damn it. I'll never forgive you, I'll never forgive you, Pain!" She pants out as she mourns for her village while one of the ANBU's worries over her.

 _'The mark on her forehead is gone. She must have already released her Souzou Saisei technique and poured all her Chakra into Katsuyu, to protect the villagers from Pain's attack. At this rate, she…'_ He stopped his train of thought before he could finish.

~3~

Naruto glares back at Pain, who is just staring blankly at her. "This saves me the trouble of looking for you," he tells her as everyone can now get a glimpse of Naruto.

"That's…" Hinata says.

"It's Naruto!" Ko says.

 _'Naruto!'_ Sakura yells in her head.

~3~

Pain's other forms start forming a semi circle around the demolished form as the door to hell opens up and picks up the form before closing only to reopen as the form is now fully fixed and back to normal. "Why do you insist on such madness?" Konan asks.

"Because…this is my justice," the female form of Pain says before she is thrown back into the village.

 _'Focusing all his Chakra into just God realm has better results, but it's too risky, and it's taking longer for the other five to recover this time than it did before,'_ Konan said as she starts turning into paper. "I'm coming to see you now. This is the last time I'll send just my paper clone."

~3~

The female Pain finally is right above the leader of the Pain, she summons the rest of the forms who end up landing on the ground with thuds. "Looks like all six are here," Fukasaku says, which makes Naruto glare right at them. Tsunade finally steps in front of Naruto's group, staring at the enemies.

"Tsunade," Gamabunta says.

"I am the 5th Hokage," she shouts.

"Fifth!" One of the ANBU that is protecting her rushes to her.

"And I will never forgive you, for trampling on the treasure, the dreams…" She shouts as Naruto stares at her. "Of those who came before me! As Hokage, I will put a stop to you here and now!"

"Looks like you understand a little of my pain now, but…I have no use for you," Pain tells her.

"The one I want," the big hulk says as he zips towards her, about to attack her before Naruto crushes it to bits.

"Is me, right!?" Naruto says as she smashes the man to bits. "There's no need for Konoha's Hokage to deal with the likes of these guys. You just go enjoy a nice cup of tea or something."

"Naruto," Tsunade says.

"What's going on!? I can't see from here," Sakura complains.

"It's amazing, she took out one of Pain's bodies with a single blow," Ko tells her.

 _'Naruto…you…'_ Sakura thought as she continues to watch.

"Gramps, did you see those old, familiar forms?" Gamabunta asks.

"I sure did," he tells his grandson. _'Looks like Naruto has surpassed those who came before her.'_

"Uzumaki Naruto," Pain says as he hates that the girl took out one of his forms so easily.

"The names Namekaze-Uzumaki Naruto! Let's settle this once and for all!" She shouts at him.


	25. Chapter 25

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of the characters that were created with the anime/manga.

 **A/N:** Sorry it's taking me so long to get them out. I've been having issues at home that have gotten me to make a decision to get me a job instead of staying at home. So when my daughter's school starts I'm going to be working.

 **Inuyasha16451:** Here you go, more for you to enjoy.

 **Melyway:** Naruto loves to kick ass, she's just that good. Did you know that you posted twice? And this will stay the same as the manga.

 **Chapter Twenty-Five**

The five Pain's stared back at the girl, _'The Deva path's power…won't be back to normal for a while. In which case,'_ they quickly moved around as they all got into position.

"Gamakichi!" Naruto shouts as she tenses up, ready for the loud thud that sounded behind her as the large toad lands behind her. "Take Tsunade-baachan to a safe place!"

"Gotcha!" He tells the girl as the ANBU's eyes widen at the size of the toad.

"Baa-chan, I'll handle this from here! You tell the others from the village they're not to interfere, okay? Trying to fight while protecting everyone at the same time would just make this more difficult," she tells them.

"Alright, but I'll leave Katsuyu with you, she'll be of use to you, she has information on the enemy," Tsunade says as she holds the small form of the slug up to the girl. Fukasaku grabs Katsuyu and hops up to land on the other side of the scroll where Granny Frog has landed on the other side.

"Katsuyu-chan, you get yourself tucked away inside Naruto-chan's robes," the elder frog tells the slug.

"Understood!" She says and starts squirming her way inside of the girls' robes.

"This…may not be the time to ask something like this but, with the energy of nature flowing through me, my senses are heightened, I can sense the Chakra of everyone here," Naruto tells Tsunade. "Is Kakashi-sensei away on a mission outside the village?" She asks and heard Tsunade's quivering breath as she couldn't help the reaction. "I see," Naruto says trying to keep her emotions in check. "Get going, Gamakichi." When she says this the huge toad jumps off with the ANBU following him.

"Kuchiyose no Jutsu," the girl form of Pain summons a huge Rhino that starts charging the young girl right off the bat. Naruto's face was down until she lifts it up suddenly, glaring at the Rhino with furious eyes before she met the animal with a major clash. Gamakichi lands besides Sakura, carrying the elder woman gently.

"Master," Sakura says as she stares at the woman. "Lady Tsunade!" She shouts and runs over to the woman who has lifted the veil showing her real age.

"It's alright now," she tells him.

"Yes," Sakura tells her and gently takes the wrinkled hand into her own. _'Good work out there, Lady Tsunade.'_ Naruto grips the Rhino's horn in her hand, stopping it in its path before she grips harder, throwing the beast up into the sky with a furious growl. Behind the girl the female form of Pain summons two more beasts, the doglike form and a huge bull, making Naruto turn a little bit and glare at them over her shoulder. The two elder frogs jump up off of Naruto's scroll, sending a huge wave of sound straight at the beasts, stopping them in their tracks. Naruto chose at this time to create two shadow clones that start to create Rasengan in the palm of the girls' hands. She ends up leaving the orbs with the clones and rushes towards the Pain's while they charge the summons. They slammed the giant Rasengan's into the beasts' abdomen causing them to fly off.

"Bun-chan! Ken-chan! Hiro-chan!" Fukasaku shouts at the toads behind them.

"You got it!" Gamabunta shouts as him and his two friends jump up, drawing out their weapons.

"Naruto-chan! Ninjutsu won't work on the Pain straight ahead of you. He has the power to absorb all Ninjutsu-based attacks," Katsuyu tells her.

"Then the way of the frog it is!" Naruto says as she raises a fist and sends it flying towards the Pain who was coming at her with one of the rods raised. Her fist flew by his head and the impact of the energy that slams right into his face, distorts it like she hit him straight on with her fist. He flew back, spinning wildly as Gamabunta stabs his sword into the dog that cries out in pain. The other two make short work of the other two summons as they attacked them, swiftly. The three toads put their weapons away as the Pain Naruto took on falls to the ground, drooling. When the toads land, they land right on each of the summons that they took on.

"Now, behave yourself in future, silly little dogs!" Gamabunta says as he holds the dog down with his full weight.

 _'I was sure I dodged that attack,'_ Pain thought as he looked back at the girl.

 _'The way of the frog makes use of the natural energy in the user's surroundings. It was that energy that manifested as an extension of Naruto's body and attacked Pain! Sennin mode raises both threat perception and attacking range above the ordinary!'_ Fukasaku thought as he watches the girl.

"My new Jutsu should finish this in no time!" Naruto says as she glares at the four as she summons two more clones.

"I see, so you've become a sage, just like Master Jiraiya," Pain says as his face still holds no emotions.

"Master Jiraiya?" Naruto says as she is shocked that he called him thus.

"I studied under him, too. He was my old master," he tells her. "I'm your fellow pupil, we both studied under the same master. We should be able to understand each other." As he tells her this, Naruto's eyes narrow and she forms one of her wind Shurikens.

"Don't make me laugh! Look at what you've done," she yells at him, making him look around at the village that is now a crater. "How can you call this peace!?"

"You can't see the forest for the trees. You don't understand the meaning of peace. Come quietly, your death will lead to peace," he tells her, making her grit her teeth as the canine's in her mouth become more prominent as the Kyuubi is listening inside of her.

"Look at her Chakra, did you teach her this?" Granny frog asks.

"No, I've never seen this before. She never did this during our training, what is she planning?" Fukasaku wonders out loud.

"I said," Naruto shouts as she throws the Shuriken. "Don't make me laugh!"

"She threw it!" Granny shouts, shocked.

 _'What!?'_ Fukasaku jaw drops. _'How can she throw such a dense, quick-spinning Chakra!?'_ The long haired Pain yanks the female form out of the way as the others dodge the attack. Just as he does this the Shuriken blades expand, taking out one of the forms as it did. _'It expanded!'_ He stares as the attack steadily rips apart the body of the long-haired Pain. The female ends up summoning her bird summon, sending her to attack the young woman who ends up jumping over it right as it hits the ground where she was standing.

"Deidara was right, you can't be reasoned with," Pain says as he stares at the girl.

~3~

Shikamaru stares out at where they were fighting, seeing a blast of dust right there. "What is it? What's going on!? Is someone fighting!?"

"It's Naruto," Katsuyu tells him.

"Naruto!? She's back!?" He asks.

"Yes, she's mastered the sage techniques and is fighting Pain alone," she tells him and he frowns.

 _'With my leg like this…'_ he grits out and gets frustrated that he couldn't help his friend.

"No one is to interfere with her," the slug tells him.

"Why's she trying to act all cool!?" Shikamaru asks. "Look what happened to the village! If she fights him alone…"

"No," his father interrupts him making his eyes widen. "If she's mastered the Sage techniques, she's on a whole other level now. The best teamwork we can do right now is to not get in her way. We'll just have to wait here, Shikamaru."

"Damn it!" Shikamaru says as he stares down at the rocks around him.

~3~

The dog summons growls out as it split into two, making the others shocked as they stared at it. "Whoa!" Gamabunta cries out as he falls off of the summon that is attacking the sword wielder and him. It grabs the sword wielder by the arm, drawing a cry from the toad as the Ninja form toad slams his shield into the dogs face.

"Wha!? Not him again!" He grits out.

"I know what we have to do! We have to cut the Rinnegan's connection!" Fukasaku told his wife.

"Right!" She says as Naruto meets one of the Pain's head on after she dodged the bird.

 _'Looks like she's lost a lot of power that technique must have used up most of her Sage Chakra'_ Pain thought as he stared at the young woman.

 _'Crap, I can't stay in Sage mode much longer! I've gotta at east finish off this one!'_ Naruto tells herself as she stares back at the female form.

"Boss!" Gamabunta shouts at Fukasaku as he lands right in front of him.

"Listen to me! You've gotta throw Bun at Naruto! Just do as I say!" He shouts as his wife throws an attack straight at the Pain's, blowing dust around them, blocking their ability to see. Suddenly, the form that summons is attacked and knocked to the ground as Gamabunta attacks two other forms with his huge sword.

 _'Where are they?'_ Pain wonders as Naruto creates two more Rasengan's and hits the summoner directly on her abdomen, making a puff of smoke come out of Gamabunta's mouth. _'Inside his mouth!'_ As soon as the attack is finished, the dogs that were taking on the other two toads disappear, making Gamabunta spit out the females' body. Naruto stares back at the leader of the Pain's, her form back to normal as she stands there and pants. "Looks like that's it for your Sage tech," he says to her.

 _'Even in Sage mode I can only do two Rasen Shurikens. So that means I've only got four left,'_ she pants as the fatigue is getting the best of her.

"Pa, her Sage mode ran out!" Granny frog tells her husband.

"I know!" He exclaims.

"I know it's dangerous, but maybe we should fuse!" She tells him.

"That's impossible," he says as Pain starts rushing towards them.

"Now's my chance," he says as he runs at a steady pace, straight towards the young woman he has to capture.

"What!? You mean we can't fuse because of the nine-tailed fox!?" Granny shouts.

"So it seems," he tells her.

"Then what should we do!?" She asks.

"We found something that works for Naruto, we're gonna do that now!" He tells her as Naruto takes off the huge scroll on her back while Gamabunta attacks the leader with his huge sword.

"Just a trickle!" The huge toad tells the man he was attacking as Naruto runs at a good distance away from the two before the leader flips and lands right in front of her, shocking her.

"Damn it!" Naruto shouts out.

"Over here, Naruto! Give it to me! I'll do it!" Fukasaku says and she throws it straight at the elder frog as Pain charges her.

"Come here!" Naruto shouts and they started trading blows.

"Get outta the way, kid! I'll do it!" Gamabunta shouts to her.

"I'm gonna use Sage mode! You guys stand back! I don't want you to get caught by the Rasen Shuriken!" She yells at him and Gamabunta lands right on top of them.

"No more bravado!" He crabs at her as Fukasaku quickly unrolls part of the scroll, revealing a seal that he releases. It summons one of the clones that are meditating by the waterfall at Mt. Myouboku where the twins are doodling with their foxes keeping a watch over them. Gamatatsu is having fun staring at the pictures that they are making before they were shocked when one of the clones disappears.

"I've got her! End the technique!" Right as he says this, the clone disappears, just in time as Pain takes one of the rods and tries to strike her but ends up shattering as Naruto punches it. She glares right at him, showing him her eyes that show she's in Sage mode again. Raising her foot up, she tries to kick him but he ends up blocking it. Even though he does it sends him bouncing as the Nature Chakra repels him.

"So that's it!" Granny says as she stares.

"Naruto did a Kagebunshin before we left," he tells his wife. "Then she infused them with Sage Chakra and left them behind. Now we can summon them from Myobokuzan at any time with that scroll. And once they're summoned, the Sage Chakra goes back into Naruto!" As he explains this, Naruto forms another Rasen Shuriken and throws it at Pain, but before it could hit him his form that absorbs techniques zips right in front of it, absorbing the Chakra that was used to create it.

 _'Him!?'_ Naruto grits out as she remembers destroying this form, she watches as he completely absorbed the Chakra. "Oh yeah, he can absorb any technique, but I thought he was dead." Her eyes flash over to see the spiky haired, buff form of Pain who is standing right besides death's door. "What's that!?"

"Looks like that Pain is the key," Katsuyu tells her.

"The one Gramps said could revive the others?" Naruto asks.

"That's probably him. That's why when they were in formation, that Pain was at the furthest back and the one on the left is the one to watch out for. He can repel any attack and draw anything towards himself. He hasn't used his powers yet, that's strange. Maybe there's a reason he can't use his powers right now," the slug tells her.

"Either way, I've gotta get that one in the back first!" Naruto says and starts forming new Rasengan's. "Smoke bombs together!" Naruto says. "Okay!" She shouts and slams one of them into the ground, creating a huge dust cloud, shocking the Pains. They were even more surprised when a Rasen Shuriken comes out of the cloud of dust. As the one that absorbs techniques tries to absorb it, it disappears and Naruto's face pops up out of the puff of dust.

 _'She transformed! This one must be the original!'_ Pain thought as he stares at the girl who ends up tackling him to the ground before another Rasen Shuriken starts coming at them.

 _"Now you can't get away! Gotcha!'_ She thought and then the Rasen Shuriken disappears as it is pushed away from Pain.

"My strength has finally returned," the leader says.

"He repelled it!" Gamabunta shouts as Naruto completely tackles one of them to the ground. Suddenly, the one who can control deaths door is flattened to the ground as Naruto attacks him with a double Rasengan.

 _'What!?'_ Pain thought as he looked over at his shoulder, staring into the furious eyes of the blond whose hair is flaring out around her.

"Yes!" Fukasaku shouts in glee.

"That's it, kid!" Gamabunta yells as both forms of Naruto has flattened the two forms of Pain, making it to where the leader is the last one left.

 _'So she'd already slipped into the smoke then and jumped up,'_ Pain thought as Naruto placed an arm over the forms eyes and raised her fist as the other form of Naruto gets off of the other to run at him. _'This'll be close,'_ Pain thought as he brought both hands up, directing them at both of the Naruto's. He used his technique to push both forms off of his other two forms, making them both bounce until one disappears while the real form slides on the ground.

"Are you okay!?" Fukasaku asks as he bounces over to where he threw the scroll down besides Naruto.

"Yeah," she tells him as she watches Gamabunta come down to strike Pain with his sword, the other two following suit and attacking them with their weapons. Their weapons all embed into the ground as Pain jumps up. "Damn it! What the hell is that tech!?"

"It looks like the main Pain's power is back," Katsuyu tells her. "It was probably his power that destroyed the village. Probably the more power he uses, the longer he must wait before he can use that technique again."

"So that's why he couldn't use it until just now, what should I do? I can't use either Ninja techs or physical attacks on him," Naruto complains.

"Chouji said there's about a five second interval until he can use his technique again. You'll just have to aim for that interval," Katsuyu tells her.

"Only five seconds," Naruto says.

"I guess we'll have to use an illusion, just like before!" Fukasaku tells her.

"But how? I can't do illusions!" She tells the old frog.

"I'll do it!" He tells her.

"Shinra Tensei," Pain says as he repels all three of the toads to the outer parts of the crater.

"Boss Gama!" Naruto shouts as she watches him hit the ground and slide along the ground.

~3~

"What was that?" A Ninja asks.

"What just happened?" Another asks.

"Naruto is fighting Pain," Katsuyu tells him as she keeps her attention mostly on the fight or healing someone.

"Naruto!?" The Shinobi exclaims.

"She's fighting Pain!? Alone!?" Chouji asks as her face contorts with worry.

"Yes, no one is to interfere," she tells him.

"Guess we'll just have to have faith in her," Kiba says as Akamaru barks in agreement.

"No doubt about it! That's definitely Naruto!" One of the Hyuga Shinobi's says as he stares at the fight through the Byakugan.

 _'She's all alone,'_ Hinata thought as her brows furrow.

"No, Hinata!" He stops her as she tries to set off to help her best friend.

"But she's fighting for the village!" She protests as she stares back at him.

"If you join her, you'll just be a burden; you'll only get in the way!" He says trying to reason with her.

 _'Naruto,'_ Hinata bites her lip as she turns around to stare back at the two fighting.

~3~

"Damn it, he got them, too!" Naruto grits out as she growls out.

"I'd better do the illusion right away, but I'll need a lot of Sage Chakra. In other words, it'll take a while before I'm ready," Fukasaku tells her.

"I'll go for the five-second interval! You create the illusion as soon as you've got enough Sage Chakra!" She tells the old frog.

"But you've only got one clone left to focus your Sage Chakra. Once that's gone, you won't be able to stay still on the battlefield long enough to focus more. Then you'll only be able to stay in Sage Mode for five minutes," he tells her.

"It was good thinking to make clones to focus the Sage Chakra, but why don't you make more!?" Granny asks them both.

"You can't look right and left at the same time. Focusing Sage Chakra isn't easy, two clones were all she could manage," he tells his wife.

"And I can only make three clones in battle, if I make any more, it'll interfere with the one focusing Sage Chakra," Naruto tells her.

"I see, we can't afford to let this drag on, then," she says as the leader of the Pain and the one who absorbs techniques walk a little bit closer.

"You're very strong, no one's ever given this much trouble before," he tells the girl and she stiffens up while turning back to him. "But," he uses his pulling technique on Naruto, yanking her towards him. When she got close enough, the other form punches the girl in the stomach. "That's enough," he tells the girl and she gets put into a hold where she cannot move as well.

 _'Sorry, Naruto! Just hang in there!"_ Fukasaku thinks as him and his wife tries to concentrate on their Sage Jutsu.

 _'Naruto!'_ Hinata stares at her friend, worry starting to brim inside her.

"Don't worry, I won't kill you. You're one of my precious hosts, after all," Pain tells her and she smiles at him.

"Heh, this doesn't hurt! Don't underestimate me in Sage Mode! Now it's my turn," she tells him and her eyes widen.

"You're right, that would be troublesome," he tells her.

 _'What? My power's leaving me,'_ Naruto struggles as she feels the power quickly being sapped out of her body. _'I get it, he's…he's absorbing…my sage Chakra!?'_ She thought and closes her eyes right before they changed back to their original blue hue and her body relaxes.

"The nine-tailed fox has been captured," Pain says.

"Not yet, I'm not done yet," she tells him as she peeks up at him through one opened eye.

"Quite the stubborn one, aren't you," he says as he watches his other form absorbing all of her Chakra.

 _'You just hang in there, Naruto-chan!'_ Fukasaku thinks as they were still gathering up all of the Natural Chakra they would need to create the illusion.

 _'I see, so that's the deal. In that case, I'll take advantage of my inability to move,'_ she thought as her lips turn up slightly while she starts to concentrate on the Natural energy only for it to be sapped up by the one holding her. She chuckles out as she opens her eyes; the Pain that was holding her is now showing signs of turning into a toad, shocking the leader. "The energy of nature isn't that easy to handle, you know!" She tells him as the man's body starts morphing so much he started to turn into stone.

"This is," Pain stops his self as his last form besides the leading body is completely turned into stone.

 _'I see, that Pain…he absorbed too much of Naruto's Senjutsu Chakra and underwent frog petrification,'_ Fukasaku says as he watches while he gathers natural energy. Naruto finally just broke out of the confines of the now petrified Pain.

"Senjutsu Chakra, it would appear to carry a price along with its use," he says.

"I guess it's just you now, huh," she says as she looks at him.

"Well, I wouldn't say that," he tells her, making her confused.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked as Katsuyu squirms up to her shoulder.

"The Pain bodies you see here are mere puppets. It would appear that someone is manipulating them from the shadows, a final, real body," she whispers to the girl as Pain points his palm to the side, making her eyes widen.

"Alright! Let's go for it Kaa-chan!" Fukasaku tells his wife.

"Alright!" She agrees as she is now ready as well. Suddenly, Pain pulls the old frog towards him, screaming the whole way.

 _'Old man Sennin!'_ Naruto stares with panic on her face and she tries to quickly catch the old frog.

"Tou-chan!" Granny frog screams out.

"I am already familiar with that Genjutsu," Pain says.

~3~

"Shikamaru!" Ino shouts, drawing the boy who is watching the fight to the girl who is standing behind him a small distance with her father.

"Ino! You're alright?!" He asks.

"Yeah," she tells them. "But…Shizune-san…"

"That's…not…?!" He stops himself as Gamabunta gains a little bit of consciousness where he lay in the forest.

"Dammit all!" He grits out, _'He's smashed every damn bone in my body! Ughhh!'_ He groans in his head as the others are still knocked out.

"I see, so that's how it happened," Shikamaru said as they stared down at Shizune's body.

"If we had only been more careful, it wouldn't have come to this," Ino says as she slowly stands up.

"We can't let Shizune-senpai's death go to waste. We have to unravel the mystery of Pain that she was trying to solve, and find where his real body is lurking before we do anything else!" Shikamaru tells them.

"Shikamaru, I think we could take things more slowly," his father tells him.

"No, Shikamaru is right, Shikaku," Inoichi tells his friend. "The best thing we can do right now is to uncover the hiding place of Pain's real body."

"Inoichi, surely a practitioner of your level ought to be able to trace the enemy's Chakra back to its source?!" Shikaku tells his friend.

"I've already tried, but the enemy is constantly switching the frequency of his Chakra. It's untraceable," Inoichi tells him.

~3~

Pain is standing there, holding one of his rods still as it is embedded into the now dead elder frog. "He's got some real skill himself." Naruto falls to the ground as she hurts from losing another master.

"Tou-chan!" Granny frog shrieks out.

"Why, you!" Naruto growls out as her eyes flare and pinken a little with rage. Her eyes widen when the man suddenly chucks the dead frog right at her, making her catch it as quick as she could. Before she could gather her wits though, Pain pulls her straight to him, making her drop Fukasaku before the man slams her body into the ground. He grabs her arm as he rolls her body over onto her stomach and stabs the pole through both of her hands, pinning them into the ground and making her feel the energy from the real body of Pain.

"Will this make you a little more accommodating? Kyuubi," he asks as he holds the rod into place, not letting her move at all. As she groans out and looks up at him through one eye while Granny frog is crying and glaring at the man at the same time.

"What are you?! What the hell are you, Dammit?! Why are you doing this?!" Naruto shrieks out at him as her hands are now throbbing in pain.

"'Why' you ask? Events always occur without warning. It is only after the fact that the reasons become clear," he tells her and she grunts in pain. "In this situation, yes, I see no reason not to talk a little."

~3~

"We have to gather as much information as we can get. Use Katsuyu to get in touch with everyone who has been in contact with Pain. Those who have died, too, may have left some kind of information behind. We make a thorough search! Carry the bodies themselves out of there if you have to," Shikaku tells his friend, making the man's eyes widen.

 _'Carrying bodies,'_ he thought in shock. "Wait, I see, I think I've got it!" He tells his friend.


	26. Chapter 26

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or the characters that are in the anime/manga.

 **A/N:** Yeah, enjoying this little bit of peace for a while. School just started so it will be a little hectic but that's to be expected as she is now changing her routine for school. Last year in middle school so she has to enjoy this year while she can before they put her into her first year in high school.

 **Melyway:** You will see I don't plan on changing the fight scenes at all unless I get a little imp on my shoulder to add stuff to.

 **Cassiejones07:** Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it. I tend to get really into it and done the fight scenes really easily as I didn't want to get away from my laptop until it was finished.

 **Chapter Twenty-Six**

"I've got it! I know where the real Pain is!" Inoichi tells his small group.

"You figured it out?" Shikamaru asks him.

"What do you mean!?" Ino asks her teammate.

"Yeah, it was when I looked into the mind of the Amegakure Ninja Jiraiya had captured," he tells them. "It was his job to transport corpses."

"Transport corpses?" Shikamaru asks.

"Yes, your words suddenly made it all clear. Listen up; first off, logically the person sending Chakra should be as close as possible to the one receiving. Now, of all the towers in Amegakure, this man took the corpses to the very tallest. There was a rumor that Pain lived in that tall tower and the woman who appeared as Pain, she looked just like the body of a dead woman who'd been taken into the tower. So that tower must be a laboratory where those black Chakra transmitters are inserted into these corpses."

"And what does that have to do with Pain's location?" Shikamaru asks.

"It's the best location to transmit Chakra signals; he'd have to use the tallest tower to be able to transmit over long distances!" Inoichi answers.

"I see, so then the real Pain must be in the highest location near Konoha," one of the ANBU's says.

"Okay! Then let's make a thorough search of anywhere high up," Shikamaru tells everyone.

~3~

Pain looks down at the grunting young woman who is glaring up at him. "You asked me why I'm doing this, my answer won't change anything, but if we have a little chat, then maybe…My goal, is something not even Jiraiya could achieve. I told you before," he stops and stares into her blue eyes. "Through justice, I will bring peace."

"Peace? Justice? You've gotta be kidding, you've gotta be frickin' kidding me!" Naruto grits out. "My master! My teachers! My friends! My village! How can you say that when you destroyed them all!?" She yells out as she struggles to free her hands as she drags her fingers through the dirt, weaving them together, wishing she could wrap her hands around the man's neck. She pants out from the struggle and the pain that is traveling through her arms.

"Then, what do you want?" He asks her.

"I want to defeat you! And bring peace to the world of Ninjas!" She shouts at him as she looks up at him again.

"I see, that's wonderful, that is justice, but, my family, my friends, my village, were all destroyed, too. Do you really think the Ninja's of Konoha are the only ones allowed to talk about peace and justice?" He tells her as he walks around her.

"What do you mean!?" She asks.

"The Land of Fire, and Konoha, has grown too big. The Nations make war to protect their interests, and for national gain. If not, the people would starve, but the battleground was always our small village, our small land, and each time, our land was laid waste and the people left impoverished," he tells her. "After many wars, the great lands stabilized, and our small country was left to bear the wounds of war." As he talks, Naruto's heart is hurting as he tells her what happened. "We both want the same thing. We both want the peace Jiraiya spoke of. You and I are no different. We're both working for our own justice. The justice I have meted out against Konoha is exactly the same as you are trying to mete out against me. Everyone feels the pain of loss the same. We both know that pain. You are working for your justice and me for mine. We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice, but if revenge is called justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge, and becomes a chain of hatred. Living within it, aware of the past, predicting the future. That is what it means to know history. We cannot help but know that people can never understand each other. The world of Ninjas is ruled by hatred."

~3~

"Even I can tell that hatred is spreading," Jiraiya tells her as they were waiting on a doctor to see her as her belly is expanding to the point where she feels like she's bursting.

"Hatred?" She asks as she rubs her belly.

"I want to do something about it, but I don't know what, but I believe that someday the day will come when people truly understand one another!" He tells her.

"That sounds hard," she tells him with a smile on her face.

"If I can't find the answer, it will be up to you to do it!" He says.

"Okay! If that's what you want, I can't refuse," she salutes.

~3~

Pain stares down at the young woman as she is lost in her memories. "How would you face this hatred in order to build peace?" She wouldn't even look up into his eyes. "Let me hear your answer," he demanded her.

"I don't know, I just don't know," she says as her brows furrowed.

"I created 'Akatsuki' in order to break that chain of hatred," he says as he looks around at the outer edges of the crater. "I can do it, that's why I need the nine-tailed fox's power. With the power of all the tailed beasts, I will build a weapon far more powerful than what it took to destroy this village. It will be able to destroy an entire land in an instant." When he says this, Naruto's eyes widened in shock. "The world will know true pain, and the fear of that pain will put an end to war, it will lead the world to stability and peace."

"That's not real peace; it's nothing but a lie!" She shouts at him.

"People are stupid, if I don't do this, there will be no peace," he says as he looks down at her again. "Eventually time will pass and the pain will heal. Eventually the checkmate's power will weaken and people will begin fighting again. This time they will use the weapon themselves and once more know true pain." Naruto continues to glare at him. "And then for a short time peace will come again. It will give birth to short periods of peace within this endless chain of hatred," the real Pain sits in his machine as he stares through the eyes of his puppet. "That is my wish," he stops as he starts coughing.

"Nagato, don't overdo it, you've used up so much Chakra," Konan says as she stares at him with worried filled eyes as he pants out.

"I can see peace," Nagato says. "You say my peace is a lie, but in this cursed world, a peace where people truly understand one another is nothing but a fantasy."

"That Pervy old man believed the day would come when people truly understand one another! You're wrong!" Naruto shouted up at him.

"All you do is talk, what can you do when you can't even prove anything?" Pain says as he slides a rod out of his sleeve. "All you can do is give me the nine-tailed fox's power. I told you, your death will lead to peace."

~3~

 _'Naruto!'_ Hinata clasps her hands in front of her, worried for her friend.

"We should split up into groups of at least two. If you find him, don't do anything rash," Shikaku tells them.

"Try and make sure there's a detection Ninja in each group if possible. That'll be faster," Shikamaru tells his dad.

"Right, Shikamaru, you stay here with Shiho and wait for further info," he tells his son.

"I hate to admit it, but you're right, I can't move, after all," he says.

"Okay, Katsuyu, let any survivors who are able to move know, the villagers will have to help us," Shikaku tells the group.

"Alright, got it," Katsuyu tells him.

~3~

Team Gai hops through the branches in the forest close to the village. Neji has his Byakugan activated when he saw the huge form of Gamabunta lying down, unable to move. "Huh?"

"What is it, Neji?" Gai asks.

"That's Jiraiya's toad," he tells his team leader.

"What!?" Gai says.

~3~

Pain stood there, stabbing the rods one after another into Naruto, causing the woman to grunt out with each one. _'Pain's Chakra's…inside me,'_ Naruto thought as she winces out. When he finishes stabbing them into her the rod count was up to seven. One in her hands, two in her shoulders, two in her hips and two in her knees.

"The wounds aren't deep and I've avoided your vital organs, but now you can't move on your own," Pain says.

"Hang in there, kid!" Someone shouts out, making the woman's eyes widen. "Don't listen to him no matter what he says!" Granny Frog shouts at her. "You're the child of prophecy! You will save the world! You can't lose! Jiraiya and Pa gave their lives because they believed in you! I'll never forgive you if you give in now!" Suddenly, Pain sends her flying.

"Noisy frog," he says.

"You bastard!" Naruto screams out at him.

"It's time for us to go," Pain says and starts to raise his hand right when Hinata shoots right by him, shocking both Naruto and the Hyuga guard that was protecting her.

"Hinata!" He panics when he saw her rushing towards the pair. _'Damn it, if only my leg weren't!'_ She lands with a thud as Pain avoids the blow that she aimed for him. Granny Frog finally slid to a stop when the puppet stares at her.

"Reinforcements, eh?" Pain says as he stares at the girl.

"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto!" She calmly tells him as she turns to stare at him.

"What're you doing here!? Get out of here! You're no match—' Naruto shouts at her with worry filling her eyes before her friend interrupts her.

"I know," she says. "I'm just being selfish."

"What're you talking about!? What're you doing here!? It's dangerous!" Naruto shouts at her again.

"I'm here of my own free will. I used to always cry and give up, I nearly went the wrong way, but you…you showed me the right way," as she talks Naruto's eyes stared at her best friend. "I was always chasing you, wanting to overtake you. I just wanted to walk with you; I wanted to be with you. You changed me! Your smile saved me! So I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because I love you, you are my best friend and my protector." As soon as she finished her speech she started to rush at Pain, she clenches her fists and activated one of her Jutsu's where it looks like she's got the heads of giant beasts. Before her attack could hit, Pain pushes her away, causing a shriek to erupt from her throat. Pain brings out another rod and held it up before he looks back at Naruto.

"Stop!" Naruto shouts out then freezes when Pain stabs the rod into Hinata, the whole time staring into her blue eyes.

"This is just like, how my parents were killed by Konoha Ninjas, right before my eyes. Love breeds sacrifice, which breeds hatred," he tells her and the fox starts going wild inside of Naruto's body, both of them wrenching against the barrier and succeeding in breaking it. Her body completely explodes as she screams out and the Kyuubi's Chakra covers it. "Then you can know pain," he says as he is now staring at Naruto's form which has four fox tails out now. "The fox's power, looks like Naruto's anger has awakened it," he says as he stares at the white substance that is forming over her body. "Do you hate me?" He asks her as the bones were formed completely and she growls out at him.

"Do you really think people can understand each other like this?" Pain asks as she roars out her answer, not being able to push the words out as her and the fox's rage is building to new heights. "That's it, but my pain is greater than yours." When she heard that, she released another huge roar.

~3~

"This Chakra, it's the same as that time!" Sakura says as she stares with her jaw dropped. "What's going on!?" She asks the ANBU.

"Hinata tried to save Naruto," Ko says as he stares at the fight.

 _'N-no way!?'_ Sakura gasps out.

~3~

Suddenly, rays of light blasts out of Naruto's chest and she growls out in frustration, knowing what it was coming from. Even though she hated having to do it, she punches through her cloak and grips the pendant that Tsunade gave her. _'Is that some sort of seal?'_ She crushed it and the lights vanished, as she pushes out more of her power. Suddenly, she starts rushing straight at the man who tries to use his powers to push her away until she dug her tails into the ground to stop her from even budging, causing rocks to fly everywhere, and Pain grunts from some flying towards his eyes.

A growl rips from the Kyuubi's lips as she stares straight up into Pain's eyes, knocking him back with his own attack. _'She withstood Shinra Tensei, and turned the force of it on me instead,'_ he crashed right below the Hokage monument.

 _'Na-Naruto,'_ Hinata stares at her best friend as the fox stood there, growling and talking to Kyuubi through their bond. Suddenly, Naruto starts collecting all of the different types of good and bad Chakra, forming them into a ball but Pain hits her with a huge bolder knocking the power off to the side where it made another huge crater.

~3~

"W-wow, what's that?" The ANBU stutters out.

"Wh-what's happening to Naruto!?" Sakura asks.

"I…I don't know what to say! A-anyway, I can see six tails! At this rate, she might fully transform!" Ko tells her.

"Six…" Her eyes widened and she remembered when Naruto lost control that one time and formed four. _'That's even more than before!'_ She stares out at the dust cloud that came from the explosion. "Katsuyu, please hurry and tell everyone to get out of here and take shelter."

~3~

"Now what?" Shikamaru asks.

"There's pretty much no sign left of the village!" The blond woman with glasses said.

"Please hurry and get as far away as possible," Katsuyu tells them. "This is the power of the nine-tailed fox. Part of me is with Naruto, so I know."

"The nine-tailed fox," Shikamaru looks down.

"I thought Yamato and Kakashi did another sealing spell on her!? What's going on?" Inoichi asks.

"It's Hinata, Hinata fell trying to protect her, and then Naruto…" Katsuyu stops.

"So that was the trigger," Shikamaru says.

"Probably," Katsuyu says.

"What happened to Yamato? Where is he?" Inoichi asked.

~3~

"Did you find Kabuto?" Anko asked Sai as they kneeled around one of his scrolls.

"I did," he tells her as he concentrates with his eyes closed.

"Okay, don't let him sense you," she tells him as Yamato's hand starts to sizzle and he feels the burning pain in his palm.

"What!" He starts panicking as he saw the number six pop up on his palm.

"What is it?" Anko asks.

"It can't be she broke the seal. Six tails? That's impossible!" He panics. "We have an emergency! Sorry, I have to get back to the village right away!"

~3~

As the dust starts to settle, Pain stands there with part of his robe destroyed, showing more of the rods embedded into his body. Naruto creeps out of where she embedded into the rocks and stares at him. _'The fox's power is amazing,'_ he thought as he stares back at the female that is practically leering at him. He jumps up out of the crater and then looks behind him at Naruto who decides to chase right after him.

~3~

Ko stares after the two with his Byakugan and then opens his mouth. "Naruto and Pain are getting further and further from the village!"

"What's going on?" Sakura asks.

"Pain appears to be running away from Naruto's power!" He tells her.

"Take that! Haha," Gamakichi laughs out.

"This is no time for laughter! Now's our chance to get Hinata and we have to do something about Naruto! When she's like this, she'll attack anyone, friend or foe!" Sakura chastises the toad. _'Anyway, I've got to try and get a hold of Yamato!'_

~3~

Naruto pursues Pain through the forest, as she roars out enraged that he is running from her. "God realm is close enough now." He says in his real form and has his puppet activate a Jutsu. "Chibaku Tensei." He says as he pants out.

"You don't have to go that far! You're in no shape!" Konan objects.

"Be quiet, Konan, I need to concentrate," he tells her as his puppet forms a small black ball and he throws it into the sky before he lets the body fall back down. Naruto looks up at the ball and feels a bad omen coming from it, then noticed that the rocks and boulders start to fly up to stick to it.

~3~

"Hey, look," a Shinobi says as he points up at the huge mass of rocks that is attracting others to it.

"What the hell is going on?" Another Shinobi asks.

~3~

Naruto is shocked when she stops on a rock formation that ends up breaking away from the Earth to move up towards the mass forming in the sky, while Nagato's nose starts bleeding. Naruto glares up at the mass and sends a blast of Chakra up to it. She growls out when the blast did nothing and she started being pulled up towards it as well. Rocks and boulders are pummeling her and covering her completely as she cannot move yet. "There's no need to go that far," Konan tells him.

"This is the fox we're talking about, I can't afford to go easy on her," Nagato tells her as he pants out. "Besides, compared to the moon the Sage of the six paths was said to have created, this is nothing. Anyway, I've captured the nine-tailed fox," he said as his puppet stood there staring out at the landscape.

~3~

Naruto sat in the dark, thinking on how Pain just stabbed her best friend, possibly killing her. _'Why!? How did this happen!?'_ An image of Pain pops up into her head.

"How would you face this hatred in order to build peace? Let me hear your answer," Pain demanded.

 _'I don't know! It hurts, I hate this,'_ she whimpers out.

 _'Naruto,'_ Kyuubi says gently and wraps her kit up in her tails as she flares out her power.

~3~

Blasts of rocks fly off from the huge ball of rock, shocking Pain. He stares up at it and wonders what happened.

~3~

"I don't know! What should I do!? I don't know anymore! Somebody help me! Give me the answer!" She shouts out.

 **"Do you wish to destroy everything? Destroy everything that hurts you?"** __Kyuubi asks her kit as she sits behind the barrier making Naruto lookup at her. **"Do you love me, Naruto? I will save you from the pain."** As she tells the young woman this, her shirt rips up and flares open enough to show the seal as it was opening. Kyuubi's core power starts dripping from the seal and swelling out around her in the water. **"Yes, that's it."**

~3~

"Ugh!" Yamato grunts out as he feels the change of the number on his palm and stares at the number 8 as it shows up. "Eight!? Shit! This is really bad!" He grits out and speeds up, trying to get to the village as quick as possible.

~3~

The huge ball of rock is breaking as Naruto pops out of it with a huge roar. "I can't believe it," Pain says as she roars out loudly, showing her new form as her eight tails flare out around her, breaking the rock even more.

~3~

 **"Come here, my sweet kit, and release this seal on me,"** Kyuubi coos at the girl who stands up, sluggishly.

~3~

"Oh," Yamato groans out as the number 9 pops up on his hand. "Damn it! It's too late! Why is this happening!?"

~3~

Naruto's hand grips the seal on the gate, her gaze showed that she is a little out of focus, like she was in a daze. Before she could rip it right off, a hand grips her wrist, stopping her and jolting her out of the daze. She stares over and her eyes widen when she saw her father before her. He quickly spins around and grabs her around her waist to take her away from the seal. Kyuubi growls when she saw who it was. **"You!"** She grits out as she is still pissed at being sealed inside of Naruto even though she has accepted it.

"The 4th…Hokage," Naruto says.

"The seal is set so that if 8 tails are released, I'll appear within your consciousness. I didn't want that to happen, I never wanted to see you again, nine-tails," Minato tells the beast. "But, I looked forward to seeing how my daughter had grown, so I guess you could call it even."

~3~

"What power, forcing her way out of the Chibaku Tensei, with brute force," Pain says as he stares at the massive beast while holding his hands up. "I'll have to enlarge it," he tries and the Kyuubi just bursts out even more, showing the rippling muscles as she doesn't have fur yet.

~3~

 **"Yondaime! Face me! I'll tear you to shreds!"** Kyuubi growls out as she glares at the man.

"Now why would I go face someone who's going to tear me to shreds," Minato tells her. "Anyways, Naruto."

"Naruto? You know my name?" She says as she always thought it was someone else who named her. "How do…"

"Heh! Well, I mean, I gave you your name. You're my kid, after all," he tells her as he chuckles.

"I know that, but you mean to tell me you named me?" She stares at him with widened eyes as Kyuubi growls out.

"Yep! Like I just said, you're my son, well daughter since your body chose that path for you," he smiles at her. Making her slowly smile back at him and laughs a little as tears flood her eyes.

" **Yondaime!"** Kyuubi growls out louder.

"This female never shuts up, let's go somewhere else," Minato says as he points over his shoulder at the angry fox. He raises his hands and suddenly snaps his fingers, making the background change instantly, shocking Naruto who wipes her tears away and giggles. "I guess Sandaime never told you. Hiruzen-sama wanted as little information about the Kyuubi as possible out in the public. If anyone knew you were my son, you'd have been in constant danger. Forgive me, Naruto."

"Dad," Naruto sniffs out before she full on punches him hard in the gut, drawing a grunt from his lips. "Why did you seal the damn Kyuubi in your own daughter!? Do you know how tough it's been living with that!?" She cries out as more tears flood her eyes and make their ways down her cheeks. "I'm happy, I'm pissed as hell, I dunno what to feel!" She yells at him as she sniffles and whimpers, making her father stare right at her.

"Naruto, how old are you now?" He asks as she looks down at the ground.

"Sixteen," she sniffled out.

"Sixteen, wow, I've…caused you a lot of pain, Naruto. I'm sorry," he tells her as he smiled at her gently. "I've caused you nothing but grief, some father I am, all I can do is apologize."

"Whatever, I'm Yondaime Hokage's daughter. I can take it," Naruto mutters out acting like a brat which caused Minato to smile at her.

"I sealed half of the demon fox's Chakra inside you, because I knew you'd learn to use it someday, because you were my daughter. I had a very good reason for it," he tells her which makes her eyes widen. "Sixteen years ago, when it first attacked the village, I learned something."

"What?" She asks.

"Someone was hiding in the shadows and controlling the Kyuubi's every move. He too was a Shinobi of unfathomable power. No one could ever face him without a very unique set of abilities," he tells her. "I'm sure he'll attack again."

"Konoha has been obliterated," Naruto says as she looks down, feeling ashamed.

"Right, I saw it from inside here," he tells her.

"You saw that!?" She shrieks out.

"I know what happened to Jiraiya-sensei, too," he says with sorrow filled eyes.

"Was Pain the one who sent the Kyuubi to attack when I was a baby!?" She asks.

"No, it wasn't him," he tells her.

"Then who!?" She demands.

"A man from Akatsuki wearing a mask," he tells her and she remembered Tobi. "On that night, he saw through every move I tried to make. He's no ordinary man, I'm almost positive he's giving Pain orders as well."

"No way! Pain hates everything Konoha stands for! We destroyed his village back when he was a kid!" She shouts at him.

"I see, then that's all the more reason he'd be using him," Minato mutters.

"Manipulated? By this guy behind the curtain!? Why is he so bent on destroying Konoha?" She asks, sounding frustrated.

"As long as the current Shinobi system remains in place, we may very well never have peace. He asked you for your solution earlier; figuring out the answer will be a long, hard road. War breeds from our desire to protect those dear to us. As long as there is love, there will be hate. Hate used and directed by Shinobi. While this system remains unchallenged, that monstrous hatred will eventually give rise to a new pain. Pain may be Jiraiya-sensei's killer, but if you think long and hard, you'll realize that he was created by the chaos and strife of our world. To be a Ninja is to be at constant war against hate. It holds true for all of us. Jiraiya-sensei made it his mission to end the hate once and for all. A mission he then left to you," he explains to his daughter.

"I can't let Pain go; I can't let him get away with this!" Naruto sternly says.

"Right," he says shortly.

"Yondaime, tell me. What am I supposed to do?" She asked him.

"You'll have to find the answer yourself. I don't know, either," he tells her.

"How the hell am I supposed to figure out something that Ero Sennin and freakin' Yondaime Hokage couldn't!? Stop lumping all this crap on me! If you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty stupid! I'm not even that good of a Ninja! And plus…" He stops her ranting shouts as he places his hand on top of her head.

"You'll figure it out someday. I know you can do it," he smiles at her.

"Really? You really think I can," she asks.

"Hey, a parent always believes their kid can do anything, no matter what. Now, it's almost time for me to go, my Chakra's running out. I'll redo the seal, but this will be the last time," he says as he resealed the Kyuubi, drawing a grunt from his daughter. "Do me a favor when this fight is over; give my grand kids a hug from me. I'm proud of you, Naruto. Konoha will grow again, it's in your hands now, Naruto," he fades away slowly.

 _'Thank you, dad,'_ she thought as her eyes narrow.

~3~

Suddenly, a huge pop sounded and the Kyuubi disappears in a cloud of smoke. "The Kyuubi…is gone?" Pain wonders until his eyes widen when he saw the form of Naruto standing where the Kyuubi's form was, staring straight down at him. Her eyes are showing that she has gathered enough Natural Chakra to reach Sage mode and her face is calm and collected, not worried at all about the man that is down on the ground, staring back at her.


	27. Chapter 27

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing stories about the anime/manga.

 **A/N:** I'm sorry for taking so long on the last few chapters. I've been dealing with a lot of drama at home and have gotten fed up with it to a major extent that I've just made a choice. My sanity and health over everything else, I'm sure that they will realize how much they put me through in the end but right now they don't give a crap so I'm going to do what is best for me. Anyway, I will probably be putting these out as best as I can so I can hurry and finish this one. I have been thinking over recreating my series with my partner and also adding them into manga form to publish so I promised her that I would finish this one as soon as I could so we can work on them.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved the scene; I just wanted you guys to stay hooked and hoped that it was to my best ability. I enjoyed writing it, thanks.

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Naruto stares down at Pain with an emotionless face, knowing what she has to do. _'Has she already found a way to control the nine-tailed fox?'_ Pain wondered as he stared up at her. His real body starts coughing like crazy, making Konan worry about him.

"Nagato!" She cries out and watches as blood drips from his lips as he gasps for air. Naruto gasps as she realized the huge rock is falling down to the ground as Nagato has lost control of being able to hold it up. She lands on a huge rock and thought to herself.

 _'Going into fox mode disturbed my Chakra, my Shadow Clones have disappeared,'_ she worried as she is now only left with one shot to defeat Pain. As soon as the dust cleared from the collision of the huge rock falling, Pain stares at the girl.

 _'Is she already in Sage Mode?'_ He wondered.

"Whew, I thought I was a goner!" Katsuyu gasps out as she leaves Naruto's jacket, shocking the girl who has forgotten the summon was still with her.

 _'She's tough, I wanted to test the fox's power, but I never thought she'd be stronger than Chibaku Tensei,'_ Pain thought.

"What?" Naruto stared all around her, her brows furrowed in sorrow. "That's the village over there, what happened?"

"You did that in Fox Mode," Katsuyu told her.

 _'Did I destroy Hinata and the rest of the villagers!?'_ Naruto wondered as she gripped her jacket over her bosom, until she felt traces of the villagers Chakra.

"I was worried, but none of the villagers were harmed by your attacks. It was pure luck," she told her.

"Thank god, thank god," she cried out.

~3~

 _'Naruto,'_ Hinata thought weakly as she laid there bleeding. Suddenly, someone landed besides her.

"Hinata!" Neji cried out as he crouched down besides his cousin's body. Tenten stared down at her and used her knowledge to assess her.

"Her wounds aren't fatal, but they could be if we don't hurry!" She tells the others.

"I'll search for a healer," Neji says and activates his Byakugan to search the village.

"I didn't think it would be this bad," Guy says as he worried about the citizens of the village.

"There's a wounded frog over here, too!" Lee tells them.

~3~

Naruto wiped her eyes and then stared straight at Pain. "I think it's time we finished this," he tells her and she remembers what her father told her. "Do you understand pain a little now? If you don't share someone's pain, you can never understand them, but just because you understand them doesn't mean you can come to an agreement. That's the truth; it's as useless as you chasing after Sasuke." As he finished speaking, Naruto closes her eyes and then opens staring straight into the Rinnegan.

"Take me to the real you! I want to speak with him face to face," she demanded.

"Oho, so you figured it out, you and Jiraiya and all of Konoha are quite something else," he says as he draws out another rod. "But, the time for talk is over; nothing you can say now will change anything."

"Let me speak to him!" She shouts at him and he starts walking towards her.

"Sage Mode, looks like you can only do two of those Chakra Shurikens, and once you do, you won't be able to maintain Sage Mode," he muses.

"I guess, I'll have to fight you," she tells him.

"If those two Shurikens miss, you lose; I won't give you another chance. If you miss, I'll beat you half to death and take you prisoner," he tells her.

"Then I have no choice, I'll just have to find the real you myself!" She says as she readies herself.

"How?" Katsuyu whispers to the girl.

"I have an idea," Naruto tells her as Pain starts to rush towards her. When he tries to bring the rod over to stab her with it, she grabs it and moves him off to the side, throwing him hard enough that the rod broke when he flew back with her kick. His body flew far enough that it crashed into the huge rocks that are strewn all over the place because of the Jutsu that he used previously. She stared at Pain as she watched him fall right onto his face. As she stared at Pain, she stabs the broken part of the rod into her shoulder, tracking the energy to a mountain top, straight to a false tree that most wouldn't be able to find unless they were knowledgeable in disguised areas. Nagato's eyes widen when he noticed that she tracked him.

 _'In Sage Mode, she's able to trace it back to me!'_ He panics.

"Found you!" Naruto stares right at the Pain.

"Bitch!" He grits out, struggling to get up as she forms two Shadow clones, which instantly created the Wind Shuriken. A clone throws down a smoke bomb, hiding their forms. _'There's the first one, it'll be hidden in the smoke, and I won't fall for it again.'_ He thought just as the Shuriken appears out from the smoke and heads straight for him, making him raise his hand and use his Jutsu on it. The Shuriken blew apart and scattered, revealing another Shuriken right behind it. _'What? A shadow Shuriken!'_

 _'There's a 5 second interval! I can do it!'_ Naruto thought as she stares through the smoke with her blue eyes.

~3~

Sakura kneeled over the unconscious body of Hinata's healing her as quickly as she could. "Why did she take such a risk," Neji wondered as he couldn't take his eyes off of her face.

 _'Hinata, you must really be Naruto's best friend,'_ Sakura thought as she frowned from this knowledge. Granny Frog held her husband's body as she cried with sorrow.

"Naruto-chan managed to suppress the nine-tails, she's now battling the sixth and final Pain," Katsuyu tells the others.

 _'She took back control by herself,'_ Sakura thought as her eyes widened in shock.

"Lee! We're going to back up Naruto!" Guy tells Lee.

"Yes sir!" Lee says as he looks over his shoulder at his squad leader.

"Please don't, you'll only get in Naruto-chan's way," the slug tells them.

"But she can't possibly handle someone who destroyed the whole village on his own!" Lee shouts out as he shows his worry for his friend.

"I think Naruto-chan has a plan. We must all place our faith in her," she tells them.

~3~

 _'What? She used the Shadow Shuriken Technique with that?'_ Pain if he could, his jaw would drop to the ground. He stood up, ready to intercept the Shuriken or dodge it to make sure he avoids damage when two good sized rocks transformed into Naruto and grab on to Pain, only for him to stab them with his rods. He jumped up and avoided the Shuriken which sliced through the huge boulder behind him like butter. Pain stared at the boulder with slightly widened eyes as he watched boulder after boulder being sliced by the Shuriken. _'She already had her Shadow Clones lying in wait. You missed and now it ends,'_ he thought as he lands on top of a boulder with smaller ones around him. They all transform, shocking him. _'What?!'_ The clones that were disguised all started to swarm on top of him. _'She disguised all those Shadow Clones as rubble,'_ he is starting to sweat now as the clone army gets closer until his five seconds ran out and he used his Jutsu to repel the whole army until others popped up to stop the real form of the girl from sliding back from the Jutsu. "You're just another fool who has no answer! Give up!" He shouts at her as he continues to use his Jutsu on her as she remembers the important talks that Jiraiya, her father and Kakashi has had with her. "You…endured it?!" He stared at her, dumbfounded and he slumps to the ground grunting out his exertion, watching as Naruto forms a Rasengan. _'She can't throw that one…five seconds…I'm far enough away.'_

"Why don't you give up," Naruto shouts out as she has her clones throw her straight to where Pain is, "on stopping me?!" She shrieks out as she slams the Rasengan into his stomach. The final Pain had his mouth open in a silent roar as he flew off when the attack reels him back, going through rock after rock, his body being battered majorly. Naruto falls to the ground with an oof as Nagato is inside of his tree gasping out.

"Nagato," Konan says softly as she stares at him.

"The last Pain was destroyed," he tells her as Naruto looks over the Pain's body, withdrawing one of the rods out of his chest.

"Pain used this to receive Chakra, allowing him to move. If I take it out, he shouldn't be able to move anymore," she says and continues removing every one of the rods. She closes her eyes after she's finished and remembers what Pain said to her. When she opens them she takes one of the rods and stabs it into the palm of her left hand, wincing from the pain as visions of her comrades and friends dying or hurt flashed past her eyes.

"Are you going? You should take reinforcements," Katusyu tells her.

"No! I'm going alone," she tells the slug.

~3~

"Thank you, Sakura," Hinata tells the pink haired Kunoichi.

"You shouldn't have done that," she tells her.

"Naruto defeated the 6th Pain," Katsuyu tells them, drawing everyone's attention to her as they all have shocked expressions.

"She did it!" Lee cheers.

"How is she? Is she injured?" Sakura asks.

"She's exhausted, but she's fine," the slug tells her.

 _'Thank God, Naruto…thank God!'_ Hinata thought as she stares down at the ground, relief overwhelming her.

"Where is Naruto now!?" Guy asks the slug.

"Right now, she's heading for where the real Pain is hiding," Katsuyu informs them.

"What? That's too reckless!" Neji panics as he was worried for her. "Guy! Let's go after her."

"Right!" He shouts back.

"But, she doesn't want any help," Katsuyu tells them.

"No way! She can't do this alone! She's already weakened! Take us to her!" He demanded of the slug.

~3~

Ko's eyes widen when he stares straight ahead of the group as they were travelling through the treetops. "What is it?" Shikaku asks his friend.

"It's Naruto," he tells them.

"Naruto!" Shikaku shouts, drawing the girls' attention towards them as she looks at them from over her shoulder.

"Guys," she says as she stops right before they do in a straight line on a thick branch.

"If you're here does that mean you beat Pain!?" Inoichi asked her and she stares down at the ground.

"Winning, losing, none of that matters," she tells them quietly.

"What happened?" Shikaku asks.

"It's hard to explain," she tells them.

"Hard to explain, what do you mean!?" Inoichi asks as his eyes widen.

"Anyway, I'm going to find the real Pain. Please don't follow me, I want to go alone," she tells them as she looks up at them.

"You know where he is!?" Ko asks.

"Yeah, I found him in Sage Mode," she tells them.

"But why do you want to go alone!? What on Earth happened!?" Inoichi asked.

"There's something I want to find out," she says.

"Find out? Find out what?" Inoichi asks as he stares at her with worried eyes.

"I want to talk to Pain," she tells them.

"What the hell are you talking about!? I'm grateful you defeated Pain, but talking won't solve anything now!" Inoichi shouts at her.

"So what then!? Should I just destroy Pain and his cronies and his whole village and that'll solve everything!?" She shouts back at him.

"What use will talking be!? He is the enemy of Konoha! We can't just forgive him!" The man shouts back.

"I…! I feel the same! I just can't forgive him for what he did to my master and the village and everyone!" She growls back at him.

"So what then!?" Inoichi asks.

"Inoichi, just let Naruto go alone," Shikaku tells his friend.

"Shikaku, you…!" Inoichi stops and stares at his friend.

"She's the one who stopped Pain, I'm sure she has a plan," he tells him.

"But…" he weakly gets out.

"Just let her go," Shikaku says.

"Thanks, Shikaku-san," Naruto tells him over her shoulder as she starts running off, as Shikaku remembers talking to his son one day.

~3~

"Where'd I go? I went to go talk to Naruto; she's been so down, you know? It's a pain in the ass, but I just found myself heading over there. She has something no one else does, she's going to be a very important Ninja," he tells his dad as he is deep in thought. "When I'm with Naruto, she makes me want to walk with her," he says as he looks over his shoulder at his dad.

~3~

Shikaku looked down sighing before he looks back at the direction that Naruto went. "Let's let Naruto handle this."

~3~

Naruto stood before the huge tree that is made out of paper that stands up the tallest in the forest and mountain. She digs her hands into the paper and pulls it apart, creating a door for her. When her eyes adjusted to the darkness inside of the tree, she saw the two forms that were standing there waiting for her to show up. "Stand back, Konan," the man's deep voice made Konan's eyes widen.

"Nagato…" she stared at him with worried filled eyes.

"Are you the real one!?" Naruto asked as she seethed with anger, her eyes showing that she has gone into Sage Mode.

"So peace has arrived, eh?" The man asks as he looked into her eyes. In her brain, she thought of how Jiraiya died and Kakashi, her bottom lip trembled even though she was trying to make sure it didn't. "Do you hate me? Now that you see me before you, you want your revenge, don't you?" He asked her as his eyes steadily roamed over her youthful features.

"If you kill Nagato and get your revenge, that won't change anything. It'll only make you feel better," Konan says as they stare at the tears filling the young woman's eyes, her fists clenching as she fought against her better nature.

"There's nothing you can do. You couldn't even give me an answer. Your role is to be the sacrifice that allows me to bring peace to the world, that is the right answer," he tells her and shoots a rod at her from the machine that he was inside of. Naruto just glares back at him and lets the rod stab her in her abdomen. "This close, I can easily control you with my Chakra. Don't worry; it's not a fatal wound. As the host, you're very important to me, after all," he says as he watches the top of her blond head since he could no longer see her face. When she flares her eyes up and glares at him, they could see her eyes have changed yet again and now added the pupil of the fox's as her teeth are now showing her canines being elongated. _'That was…on purpose?'_ He thought as his eyes widened on her.

"What is it, Nagato?" Konan asks.

"I…came here to talk to you, but there was something else I wanted to find out, too," Naruto tells him.

"Something…you wanted to find out?" He asks her as if he couldn't believe her words.

"I wanted to see how I would feel, I didn't know how I would feel, if I really saw you right in front of me," she says as she looks down, struggling to contain her anger.

"And?" He asks as she holds the rod that he shot into her.

"And I can't forgive you!" She growls out at him as she snarls at him. "I want to kill you so much, I'm trembling!" She tightens her grip on the rod and yanks it from her stomach.

 _'What!? She's able to resist Nagato's Chakra even this close!?'_ Konan stared at the girl as her jaw drops. Naruto balls her fist up and was going to rush at him until she remembered the conversation she had with Jiraiya when she was pregnant with the twins that stopped her in her steps.

"That Pervy Sage said the day will come when people truly understand one another, he had faith," she tells them as her fist trembles and the two avidly listened to her. "When he told me that, I wasn't even really listening to him. He said he wanted me to find the answer, but I was just glad to have his approval," she said as she stares down at the ground, her words filled with tears. "Now, I finally know what he really meant. It's not that easy."

"But that doesn't change the fact that you can't forgive me. Love and forgiveness can't be bought with pretty words," Nagato tells her.

"Yeah, you're right," she agrees as she looks up at him.

"It's too late for Jiraiya's idealism now, that's just not realistic. You said, you would defeat me and bring peace to the world, didn't you?" Nagato asked her as he closed his eyes as hers turns back to her normal blue. "Even if that's just an excuse for you to selfishly have your revenge, if that's your justice, that's fine. You're not God; can you really believe Jiraiya's nonsense after seeing the reality?" He asks her and she furrows her brows while looking at him.

"When I found out you'd been his apprentice, there was something I really wanted to ask you," she told him.

"What?" He asked her.

"If you were his apprentice, how did you turn out like this? I don't know anything about you," she says and they looked at her with forlorn looks. "I want to hear your story, before I give you my answer." And the man stares back at her.

"Alright, I'll show you our pain," he tells her.

"Nagato, that's just a waste of time! Just hurry up and!" Konan shouts before he interrupts her.

"Wait, Konan, I want to hear her answer," he says and she looks down. "I have two great sources of pain."

~3~

 _"One is my parents' death. This is the story of how Amegakure became a battlefield in a war between the great countries,"_ Nagato starts his tail. A small family is huddled in the nearly destroyed house that they took refuge in. Two Shinobi's are walking around inside, making sounds every move they make.

"Did you find anything?" One asks.

"Yeah, some canned food!" He tells his partner.

"I haven't eaten in four days!" He exclaims as he walks over to the man.

"Nah, it's only been three," his partner tells him.

"Whatever, let's just hurry up and eat. I'm starving," he says and they started opening the cans.

"We can look around after, there might be more somewhere else, too," his partner says.

"Let's get out now," Nagato's father says to his family.

"But what if they find us? I'm scared," his wife says with a trembling voice.

"Don't worry, just try not to make any noise," he tells her and they all start to quietly sneak out of the house.

"This is good!" One of the Shinobi's said with a surprised filled voice. Suddenly, Nagato's elbow hits the table and he quickly covers his mouth to muffle his shocked voice as a vase falls to the ground and breaks. "Who's there!?" Both of the Shinobi's ran into the room and weren't able to make out but their silhouettes. Nagato's father wanted to protect his family so he rushed at the men while shouting to draw their attention to him only. "Damn! The enemy here!?" The Shinobi draws his Kunai up and Nagato's father grabs the wrist that is holding it.

"Get out while you can!" He shouts over his shoulder at his family.

"Come on, Nagato!" His mother urges and her eyes widen when she notices that Nagato's fear filled eyes were on the Shinobi rushing at them to attack. The boy covers his face with his arms as his mother steps in front of him to protect her son, right as the Shinobi plunges the Kunai right into her chest. "Nagato…hurry…run…" She weakly tells him before her body falls over, dead as his father's eyes widen.

"How could you!?" He shouts at the Ninja and starts fighting back desperately as his son slides down the cabinet and shakes as he cries, while the Shinobi approached him enough to finally get a good look at him.

"Wh-what? A kid?" The man asks as he stares down at the young boy.

"What the hell? They're not ninjas!" His partner says loudly as he stares down at Nagato's father's dead body.

"What should we do!?" He panics as he looks away from Nagato to stare at his partner. "How did this happen!? Damn it! I can't believe we thought they were the enemy!" As he panics, Nagato is still gasping and freaking out that his parents were killed right before his eyes. He stares up at the man's Hitae Ite and saw the Leaf symbol. "I-I had no idea there were still civilians here, I'm sorry, kid." The man says as he crouches before the young boy, who instantly starts to panic and activates his Doujutsu.

~3~

Nagato wakes up, groaning as he lifts his head and stares at the two dead Shinobi that are feet away from him. "What!? What happened?" He wondered as he stared at the bodies until he remembered his parents and his eyes shot over to where they were. "Dad? Mom!?" When he saw that they were still laying where they were, with no movements to show that they were breathing. His face started to crumble as he started wailing; not knowing what he will do in the future.

~3~

"My mother and father died for a war Konoha started. I can't forget the pain of that day, it still hurts even now," Nagato tells the young woman as she looked at the ground, feeling the sorrow that the man has gone through.

~3~

 _"As the pain turned to hatred, my powers bloomed within me. Only later would I realize it had been me…who killed those two Konoha Ninja's,"_ Nagato says as he remembered to when he buried his parents. "Goodbye, dad…mom…" The young Nagato says over their graves as he sniffles, still mourning their deaths. _"With only a few provisions, I left home alone."_ The young boy was continuing to walk around in the rain until he found shelter under a rocky ledge; he rummaged around in his sack and pulled out the last of his bread. "This is the last of it," he says to himself and sighs heavily. Days later, his young body could no longer handle the lack of food and collapsed in the middle of puddles that the rain makes as it steadily pours down. _"I grew weak with hunger,"_ Nagato laid there as he didn't have enough energy to get up and continue onwards. Suddenly, a lone, hungry dog came and started licking the young boy's face, trying to give him enough courage to get to his feet. Nagato drags himself up and finds another rocky abode that is dry for them to rest. He stares down at the dog as it whines at him. "You can follow me, but I don't have anything for you. I don't have any food left," he tells the pooch. Days continued on and he found himself in front of an occupied house, he knocks on the door. "Excuse me, do you have any food…you can share with me? Please?" He asks and the door opens to reveal an elder man who just stares at him. "I haven't eaten in so long!" He smiled at the man.

"Sorry, I don't have anything for you. These days we barely have enough to feed ourselves. I'm sorry, but you'll have to ask someone else," the man tells him and shuts the door in his face.

 _'But this was the last house,'_ Nagato thought as he sadly turned around. The next day, Nagato falls again and his pooch barked at him, worried about him. _'I can't go on, am I going to die here?'_ He gasps out his breath and a small loaf of bread is placed in front of his face, surprising him. He looked up to see a young girl who smiles at him as she holds an umbrella.

"Here, eat this," she tells him, which makes him gulp.

"Are you sure?" He asks, staring up at her through his soaked hair.

"Yeah," she tells him and helps him to another rocky ridge that protected them from the rain. The dog looks up at Nagato with devoted eyes as he pants, making Nagato break the small loaf of bread in half and give him a piece.

"Here," he says and sits to start munching on the bread himself as the dog eats it. The young girl brings Nagato to a cave and a boy the same age as them stares at her with a perturbed look.

"What'd you bring him here for, Konan?" The carrot top asks the girl.

"He was dying," she tells him.

"You even brought his dog? Jeez, what's his name!?" He asks as he walks closer to them.

"Tiny," Nagato tells the boy.

"You sure have got a weird name," the boy tells him as he cocked an eyebrow at the dark red headed boy.

"No, that's the dog…" he stops trying to explain to the boy.

~3~

"That's…when I met Konan and Yahiko. We were all war orphans, but they were desperately trying to stay alive. They became my friends," he said and gently looks over at Konan.

~3~

"Can you give us anything? Please?" Nagato begs the vendor.

"Even just a little something," Konan follows him as she begs right along with him, distracting the man from noticing Yahiko.

"Get out of here!" The man yells at them, making them run while Yahiko steals a fish right from under the man's nose.

~3~

"We stole a lot. There were no orphanages in a small, war-torn country like ours. There was nothing else kids like us could do, but through it all Yahiko never gave up hope," Nagato says as he practically relives the moment.

~3~

"Do you have dreams, Nagato?" Yahiko asked his friend.

"Dreams?" He asked quietly, thinking about it deeply.

"I'm not gonna let it end like this. I've got big dreams!" Yahiko tells him as he balls his fist up with a huge smile on his face, making Nagato stare at him with a confused expression. "I'm gonna rule the world!"

"Rule…the world?" Nagato squeaks out after his friend startles him with his shout.

"Yeah! When I'm on the top of the world, it won't be like this anymore!" Yahiko shouts enthusiastically. "If I die now, I'll be letting my parents down!" As he continues talking they smile at him. "When I'm at the top of the world, I'll be able to do anything I want."

"Just like a God," Nagato says, then quickly thought about something and turned to him and asks. "Will you be able to put an end to war, too?" Suddenly, a Kunai lands behind them with an explosive note attached making the trio fly off from the explosion. "Are you ok?" He asks them as he struggles to get up a little bit.

"Y-yeah," Konan says as she still lays there until she tries her hardest to get up, groaning before she looks towards the puppy. "Tiny!"

"Damn it! What's going on!?" Yahiko asks as he looks over his shoulder. As explosions were set off around them Yahiko crept up a cliff and stared over it. Down the cliff he could see a bunch of dead Shinobi and a trio staring back at a man who is perched on top of a lizards head. "Damn it! They're fighting this close!? It's Hanzo and the Konoha Ninjas!"

"Yahiko, what should we do? Tiny's not breathing!" Konan shouts at him, making his eyes widen as they zip over to stare at his friends.

"We'll worry about Tiny later! We've gotta get out of here!" He tells them, panic full on his face.

~3~

"It was Jiraiya and them, the three great Ninjas. They were fighting Hanzo, chief of Amegakure. The fighting had reached its peak, and…" Nagato paused as both Konan and Naruto stared up at him with saddened eyes.

~3~

Nagato hugged his puppy to his chest as tears ran down his cheeks. "Tiny," he whimpers as the trio took refuge under the rocky caverns. Suddenly, Yahiko punches the rock wall of the cavern.

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! What the hell!?" He shouts out, making the others eyes quickly turn to stare at him. "If war is going to continue…I will become the God of this world!"

 _"That is when Yahiko's dream became my dream, too,"_ Nagato says as he remembers the pain and sorrow that he felt before hope started to creep into his soul.


	28. Chapter 28

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Sorry it will be taking a little between chapters. I now have a full time job and having to deal with my teen turning into a delinquent is stressing me out so much I want to strangle her, wringing her neck just to hear if her head jingles like a damn bell. I'm so close in putting her into a boot camp it's pathetic. She's gotten sticky finger syndrome and now I'm hating the fact that her aunt is rubbing off on her and wish majorly she wasn't. That's the only way she learned how to steal since I hate thieves. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy these chapters as I can hopefully get them out quicker once everything including the holidays settles.

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it.

 **Melyway:** I actually think I could have probably done better but then of course that is just me thinking that.

 **Cassiejones07:** I know it seems like I'm just stopping it at the best moments, but you got to love cliff hangers. They tend to keep readers coming back for more.

 **Emowoods205:** You just have to continue reading to find out. I'm glad I interested you in this story and will continue to trying my best to keep your interest up.

 **Breaking6883:** I am glad you love it, the kits I will be making a huge scene for when they meet their father. I hope I will make it even more interesting since it seems like I'm getting more new readers.

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight**

Yahiko was staring out into the rain as Nagato hugged his dead puppy, crying. "Nagato…quit crying!" He yells at the boy over his shoulder. "If you just cry about it, nothing'll ever change, just like the rain, but I'm going to change this country! And I need strength, not just words!" He shouted out as he dipped his head back and stared up into the rain, allowing the drops to flood his eyes, hiding his own tears. "I need to learn to become a Ninja!"

~3~

"We began searching for a Ninja, and we found the Ninja that had fought Hanzo. We found Jiraiya," Nagato tells her as his very sickly face is intently watching her as she listened to him fully.

~3~

"What do you kids want!?" Jiraiya asked them around the food in his mouth. Nagato stared at the trio, hiding behind the rocky walls of the cave as Yahiko went to talk to them. He had flashbacks from the two Konoha Ninjas that accidentally killed his parents.

~3~

"You…should understand," Nagato says as Naruto stares at the ground, her emotions swirling around inside of her.

~3~

"Should we kill them?" Orochimaru asks.

"Wha!?" Yahiko squeaks out.

"I've seen a lot of war orphans and it's a cruel life. They'd be better off if we just killed them now," the black haired male tells his teammates.

"Stop it, Orochimaru! You and Tsunade head home, I'm gonna stay with these kids for a while," Jiraiya tells them.

"Huh!?" Tsunade murmurs.

"Just until they can take care of themselves better, it's the least I can do," he tells her and takes the three children to a dry abode and fed them, laughing at their antics.

 _"But Jiraiya felt different,"_ Nagato tells her.

~3~

"Not long after the four of us began living together, something happened," he told her as he stared into her dark blue eyes.

"What?" Naruto asks.

~3~

 _"A lone Ninja attacked us. He nearly killed Yahiko, but I fought back. I did it all unconsciously…Apparently I had some special power, it was the Rinnegan. Jiraiya hadn't been keen to teach us to be Ninjas before, but after that he began teaching us the Ninja techniques. He said they were for self defense, but I think it was mainly a way for me to control the Rinnegan. I was scared of my own powers, I was filled with hatred. I was tormented by guilt, convinced I'd done something wrong, but he saved me,"_ Nagato tells her.

"I don't know if it was right or wrong myself," Jiraiya tells the young boy. "But thanks to you, Yahiko is still alive. You saved him, you did what was right." Jiraiya smiles at him. "No one is blaming you."

~3~

"Without even realizing it, I'd come to accept him. This is what he said, "When people get hurt, they learn to hate. When people hurt others, they become hated and are racked with guilt"," Nagato says as he remembers Jiraiya's words. "But knowing that pain allows people to be kind, pain allows people to grow and how you grow up is up to you. You know pain, you think about it, and the answer you find it is up to you. He said it almost as if to himself, he hadn't found his answer, just like you. But I knew my answer right away."

~3~

"I just want to protect them, no matter how much pain it causes," Nagato said as he hugged his legs.

"I see," Jiraiya smiles at him.

"Master, what are you always thinking about?" Nagato asked him.

"This world is filled with war, hatred is everywhere. I think about how I want to change that. I wonder what peace is, I want to know the answer." Jiraiya tells him honestly.

 _"After three years of training, we'd grown stronger in mind and body, but his words stayed within me, stuck in my heart. He said he felt like my Rinnegan could be the answer,"_ Nagato explains.

"Long ago, people were always at war. There was no end to it, it was even worse than now," Jiraiya told the boy as he stood out in the rain with his back to the boy. "Then a single priest appeared. He was the first to divine the true meaning of Chakra, and he tried to lead the world to peace. They say he travelled the world spreading his religion. Time passed and eventually that religion became our Ninja techniques. Being a Ninja was not about making war, but about bringing peace. That priest was called the Sage of the Six Realms. They called him the Messiah, and he had the same Rinnegan as you. "I am here to provide peace and order," he said. "He must have believed the day would come when people would truly understand one another. Maybe, he has been reborn in you. I feel like his hopes rest in your eyes."

~3~

"He entrusted me with that peace, and then he left us," Nagato said as his eyes started to stare back at his memories. "Yahiko became our leader. Our gang grew famous overnight. Everyone agreed with our desire to create peace without relying on brute force, but the world was still in the middle of the war between the three great countries of stone, sand, and leaf. Hanzo, the leader of Amegakure, heard the rumors and approached us. He could no longer afford to ignore us. He said he wanted to use us to begin peace negotiations between the three great countries. He believed we could get the three countries to agree to a peace treaty. We decided to help him, but that was a catastrophe. We were just children."

"A catastrophe? Wh-what happened!?" Naruto asked as her eyes widened and she looked straight up at him while Konan just stared at the girl with a depressed solemn glance.

"Because of him, Yahiko died," Nagato told him as he stared at her with pain filled eyes.

"Died?" Naruto almost squeaked out.

"It was all a trap. Hanzo was afraid we would wrest control of Amegakure from him. Because of him, Yahiko…"

~3~

 _"The next day when we arrived at the assigned place, Konoha's black ops were waiting along with Hanzo and his minions. Hanzo had joined forces with Konoha's Danzo to obliterate us. Danzo wanted Hanzo's help in becoming Hokage, and Hanzo wanted Danzo's help in protecting his position,"_ Nagato and Yahiko looked up on the cliff in the pouring rain where Hanzo held Konan captive.

"Damn it!" Yahiko grit out.

"Your gang is a hindrance to my plans. Yahiko, as the leader, you will die here today," Hanzo said as he whipped out a Kunai and placed it under Konan's chin. "If you don't, this girl will get it. You there with the red hair, use this to kill him. If you do, I'll let this girl free." A Kunai suddenly stabs the ground right besides the two making them stare at it.

"Don't, Nagato! Don't worry about me. You two get out of here!" Konan shouts at the two as she panics and struggles in Hanzo's grasp.

"Nagato," Yahiko calls to his friend as he watches him stare at the Kunai. "Kill me," he says when the darker red head stares at him.

 _'I just want to protect them, no matter how much pain it causes,'_ the memory of him speaking to Jiraiya and telling him this flashes through his brain.

"Nagato!" Yahiko yells at him.

"Don't do it!" Konan shouts at him.

"You'd better hurry unless you want the girl to die!" Hanzo says as he stares down at the young man who leans down and takes the Kunai out of the ground. Nagato stares down at the Kunai as he pants, not realizing Yahiko started rushing towards him, until his friend grabs the wrist of the hand that hold the Kunai and turns it so when his body gets closer it stabs into Yahiko.

"You and Konan, you've gotta stay alive somehow…you…are…the messiah. You…can…really…" He whispers into Nagato's ear, his voice getting weaker by the second.

"Yahiko!" Konan screams out as tears rush down her cheeks, watching as Yahiko's body falls to the ground.

 _"That was the second source of my pain. I thought I had grown, but nothing had changed. It was just the same as when my parents died. I realized my answer was worthless,"_ Nagato said as he relived the moment where his best friend died by his own hands even if it wasn't willingly. Konan fell to her knees right besides Hanzo, crying hard as she looked down at the ground.

"Kill him!" Hanzo says and every one of the Ninja's started to throw their Kunai at the young Nagato as he stood there staring up at them. He kept on remembering all the things Yahiko said to him when they were younger about becoming a God and when the Kunai were five feet from him he raised his hand and stopped their progression towards him.

"He repelled them!?" One Ninja asked.

"How!?" Another wondered out loud. Suddenly, Nagato crouched quickly before repelling himself off of the ground to jump towards Hanzo who saw his approach and quickly jumped out of the way. He landed further away from Nagato, sliding on the ground as he comes to a stop, slamming his hand on the ground so that paper bombs would attach to Nagato's legs, making the young man's eyes widen before the explosion went off.

"Did we get him?" Hanzo asked as they all stared at the smoke from the explosion. Nagato drops Konan to the ground as he yanks the rope from around her wrists, staring at them with furious eyes as his legs continue to burn.

"Nagato!" Konan cries out as she looks up at him.

"Konan, hold on to Yahiko and just stay put," he tells her before he turns back to look up at the cliff where he was before the bombs went off.

"Not bad, kid! I'm surprised you were able to escape my fire attack!" Hanzo said as he was starting to see the young man better through the smoke that is now clearing. He stared down at the boys legs until he zipped his eyes back up to stare into the boys, his eyes widened. "You're…no ordinary kid…those eyes."

"Kill them all!" One of Konoha's ANBU special black ops shouts to the others. The others jumped down in swarms to kill the last two remaining of the group, but Nagato slams his hand down and summons one of his great beasts.

"What!?" Konan squeaks out a little as she stares at the Gedo Mazo, while it takes out the ANBU. "Nagato, no! Don't!" She cries out, worried about her friend. The big beast slams its huge hand down onto the ground, making it break apart.

"What…the hell is that?" Hanzo wondered as they all stared at the beast who roars into the skies as Nagato roars out. The beast started the push out some metal rods that penetrated Nagato in his spine, causing him to cry out in pain and his face started showing the haggard looks of malnutrition that Naruto and others around Nagato became familiar with. One of the spirit beasts came out of the Gedo Mazo and started stripping everyone of their souls, leaving their dead bodies in the wake. Shocking others as they watched their comrade's fall to the ground, lifeless.

"Don't touch it or you'll die!" One of the Ninja's from the Hidden Rain village shouted out as he tries in vain to get away, scared out of his mind until he too had his soul ripped out of his body. Hanzo stared down at Nagato as he looked rough right about now.

"Nagato," Konan spoke softly to her friend as she watched him.

"So you were the one really pulling the strings! Your Rinnegan surprised me," Hanzo says loudly enough for him to hear, making the young man roar out yet again, sending the spirit beast towards the elder male who quickly uses a Jutsu to avoid it. The dust clears and the Gedo Mazo breaks the rods attached to Nagato's body before it disappears, leaving the young man a much lesser form than before the fight starts, a creepy looking smile on his face.

 _"Yahiko was dead…After that, I became the leader of our gang in his stead,"_ Nagato took his Kunai and cut into the Hitae Ite to show how he chose to become a rogue Ninja and the start of the Akatsuki.

~3~

Naruto stared at him, speechless since she couldn't even put words to what she knew this man has been through. Words to console him since he was reliving his past. "I lost many more friends in battle after that. So many friends, so many people kept dying. Everyone in the land of Fire crows about peace, but each mission Konohagakure undertakes funds the war. The people of the land of Fire know they are complicit in this war, yet they hypocritically speak of peace. The peace of the big countries is built on the sacrifices of the little countries. Your peace is violence towards us," he stopped as he watched the young woman's eyes fall in shame as she knows this is the truth. "Just by living, people hurt others without even realizing it. As long as people live, so too will hatred. There can be no peace in this cursed land. What Jiraiya spoke of was nothing but a fantasy. Now you have heard my story, so let me hear your answer." He stared at her, waiting patiently for her to tell him what her answer was. She gripped her jacket into her fist, the move shocked Nagato as he stared at her in confusion. She took out the first book that Jiraiya wrote, sorrow covering her face and overwhelming her heart.

"That may be true, I think you're right," she tells him as she remembers what the old man told her.

"Really?" Nagato asks as he is confused as to why she would agree with him since she has fought with him tooth and nail from the beginning of them going after the Jinchuuriki.

"I understand you, but I still can't forgive you, I still hate you," she tells him through gritted teeth as she scrunches her eyes shut, fighting everything inside of her not to go and kill the man this instant.

"Then let's finish this," he tells her.

"But," she interrupts him and the two in front of her held shocked or confused expressions. "That Pervy Sage believed in me, so I…will believe in what he believed in. That is my answer," she says as she shot her glare upwards, staring him in the eyes that widen with her intensity. "So, I…won't kill you," she says and steadily staring at him, her gaze unwavering.

"You will believe in what Jiraiya believed in? I see, so that's your answer," Nagato says as he looked into her deepened blue eyes. "So, should we just sit here and wait for you to bring peace to the world!?" He asked her and waited for a reply that the girl didn't give. "Give me a break! How can I believe Jiraiya now!?" He shouts at her, frustrated at her answer. "There's no such thing as real peace! It's impossible as long as we're living in this accursed world!" Even with him shouting at her, Naruto's gaze doesn't even waver, she just looks straight dead into his eyes.

"Then, I will break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it. I won't give up!" She tells him, her voice steady and not even a hint of uncertainty in it.

"You…that's…" Nagato's jaw drops as he saw her strength that flows through her.

"Nagato, what's the matter?" Konan asks as she looks over her shoulder at the man who she has been protecting and trusting since they were children, the confusion written all over her face.

"Those words…" Nagato stops what he was about to say as he recognized the words.

"That's right; those were lines from this book. The first book he ever wrote," she says as she quietly lowered her saddened eyes to stare at the cover of the book. "He wrote this book to try and change the world," when she says this, Konan's eyes widened in shock. "And in the end, he says he was inspired by a pupil of his to write this. That was you, Nagato," after she says this the Rinnegan filled eyes widen as much as it was able, shocked when he heard this.

"What? Is this just a coincidence?" He asks her.

"And…the name of the main character is…" she pauses and stares up at the man through her banks that hang down over her Hitae ite.

~3~

"Master," Nagato says as he walks into the room where Jiraiya was eating.

"What's up?" The elder male asks his pupil.

"Do you…have a minute?" The younger male asks as he slowly sat on the mat on the other side of the table.

"Sure, I was trying to write, but I can't seem to think of anything, so I'm taking a little break to eat," Jiraiya tells him as he takes more noodles out of his bowl. "So, what'd you want?"

"Remember when you were talking about the world's hatred? I've been thinking about that," Nagato tells him.

"Oh, did you come up with a plan?" Jiraiya asks with a full mouth.

"Peace, I don't know how to get there, but…" Nagato pauses and turns to look at Jiraiya. "But someday I'll break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it!" As he was listening to the young man, Jiraiya stared to smile as the young man stood up. "Faith is better than any plan!"

"I see, well said. Maybe you're right," suddenly a thought came to Jiraiya's mind, making his eyes widen. "Oh!"

"What is it?" Nagato asks.

"Thanks to you, I think I've got a good idea for a story here! Now! First I've gotta think of a name for the main character," Jiraiya says as he crossed his arms and stared into the giant bowl of ramen that he was eating.

~3~

When Jiraiya left the trio, they all were walking in the rain with sad expressions on their faces. "You can't keep crying forever, Yahiko. We'll see him again someday," Konan tells him.

"Ooh, master," Yahiko sniffled as he trudged along in the middle of his friends. They all entered the house that they stayed in while being trained by Jiraiya and Nagato saw the book left on the table, making his eyes widen as he stared at the title of the book. The other two stared at him in confusion as he slowly picked the book up and opened it.

~3~

Throwing knives were thrown, embedding into the trees in the area. "Why don't you just give up?" The Shinobi cockily tells the hero, who looks just like Nagato who is hiding behind a tree. "I'm tired of playing hide and seek," he taunts as Nagato pulls out the smoke bombs he held in his pouch. He quickly throws the bombs at the Shinobi, whose eyes widen as they started to activate. _'A smoke bomb!'_ The man thought and noticed something was different, he was attacked inside of the clouds of smoke before he hit Nagato who ended up hitting his knees in front of the Shinobi, panting. "Give up," he tells him.

"Can I say just one thing?" Nagato asks.

"I don't want to hear it, now die!" He shouts and rushes Nagato, when he noticed that the other man isn't showing any pain from his attack, he grits his teeth.

"You should give up," Nagato tells him right before his body disappears right in front of the Shinobi, causing the man's eyes to widen when he felt someone was behind him. "Trying to make me give up," Nagato says as he sends a blow to the back of the guys head.

 _'Kagebunshin!?'_ The Shinobi thought as his whole body hit the ground. "Ugh! E-even if you kill me, another assassin will attack the village," he gasps out as he chuckles up at him. "There will be no peace, as long as we live in this accursed world…of Ninja's."

"Then, I will break the curse. If there's such a thing as peace, I will find it! I won't give up!" Nagato tells him as he stared down at the man who barely lifts his head up from the wooden surface of the tree limb the two were on.

"Wh-who are you?" He asks him.

"My name is…"

~3~

"Naruto!" As she shouts the name of the character, Nagato's eyes widen as he remembers the story. "So my name is a precious memento of him! I can't just give up and stomp on this memento! I will become the Hokage! And I'll make sure there's peace for Amegakure, too! Believe in me!" When she stops speaking the two were staring at her, their memories full of everything that happened in the past.

"We studied under the same master; I told you before that we should therefore be able to understand each other. I was just joking then, but…" He stops and both females look at him as he tried to gather exactly what he wanted to say. "You're an odd kid, you remind me of myself when I was younger."

"Nagato," Konan says quietly, suddenly realizing that this girl strikes his heart cords majorly.

"I couldn't believe in what Jiraiya believe in, or…in the man himself. But, you chose a different path. In you I can see a different future," as he says this he starts weaving signs and the beastly contraptions groaned and creaked. "I…will believe in you, Uzumaki Naruto. Gedo Rinne Tensei no Jutsu," Nagato says as he activates one of his Jutsu's that makes the women's eyes widen.

"Nagato, you…!" Konan shouts at him in desperation.

"Konan, it's enough, I have a new choice…a choice I'd given up on," Nagato tells his friend.

"What? What is that tech!?" Naruto asks as Konan stares at the girl with saddened eyes.

"He who controls the Rinnegan is a master of all six pains' techniques. They say he is outside life and death. Nagato is the 7th Pain, able to control life and death," she tells the younger woman. "Gedo," she says as she stares at the dilapidated body of her long time friend. _'If he uses it now with these Chakra levels, yet he still wants to follow this child.'_ Konan turns her eyes back to the young woman as she stares at her. _'Such a strange child, to have changed Nagato so completely.'_

~3~

Suddenly, in the middle of the destroyed wreckage of the Leaf village, a huge form of one of Pain's summons pops up and opens his huge mouth, releasing every single soul that was taken that day. Whether it was being killed or stolen from their bodies. "What?" One Shinobi says as he and the others watched the forms flash by them and end up inside of their previously vacated forms. When Fukasaku sat upright and opened his eyes to stare around him, his eyes landed on his wife and grandsons forms.

"Ma…where am I?" He rasped out, his voice making it seem like he needs water. Then the shrieking started.

 _'Fukasaku was dead, I'm sure of it! So what is this…? What the hell just happened!?'_ Sakura wondered as all around her, the dead were suddenly back, sitting up and looking confused.

"Im-impossible…th-this can't be happening," a Ninja said as he watched a form come out from under the rubble. One Kunoichi hugged her loved one as he stared around him confused. Shizune sat up and rubbed her neck.

"Huh?" Ino says as she stares back at the woman.

"What's going on?" Shikamaru asked as he stared back in shock.

"What's going on!?" Inoichi asks as the small group that stood waiting for Naruto to finish up stares back at the village.

"Looks like Naruto's taken care of things," Shikaku tells his friend with a small smile on his lips.

In the toad village, the old sage toad and Bunta is sitting there while he was healing. "It's over," the old sage toad says.

"What's going on…!?" Bunta grunts as he glares at the old toad.

"As it was foretold, but I never thought Jiraiya's two pupils together would be the children of prophecy, the ones to lead a revolution in the Ninja world. Maybe," he says as he stares at Naruto through his crystal ball, "this was all meant to be, from the time Jiraiya decided not to give up. That book really was the key to changing the world."

~3~

Father and son both continue to sit around the fire where Kakashi is sharing his father's past along with his own. "I see, you've had your share of trouble, too," his father says as they stare into the flames.

"Yeah," Kakashi says.

"But, I never thought we'd both die so young," he tells him as his son sits there silently. "Though not as young as your mother," when he says this he watched as his son closes his eyes not wanting the pain in them to show.

"Regardless of what happened, you did the best you could," he tells him as he reopened his eyes. "I understand now, you broke the rules for all of our sakes, I'm proud of you now." His father's eyes widened when he says this and a light appears making the firelight seem to be fading.

"Thank you," he tells his son as a bright light flies out from the darkness to hit Kakashi right at his core, bringing him back from death.

~3~

The two females inside of the fake tree stare at Nagato as his hair starts to whiten right before their eyes. "What's going on? What happened!?" Naruto squeaks out as she is now worried with the new changes to one of her fellow pupils.

"The villagers are being revived," Katsuyu tells her as she wriggles her way out from under her jacket.

"Then…!" Naruto's eyes widen as she stares at the slug.

"There's still time to save those I killed when I came to Konoha. It's the least I can do," Nagato tells her after he remembers how he felt when Jiraiya promised to stay with the three until they could take care of themselves to his other teammates. The sweat is pouring down Nagato's face in rivulets.

~3~

"What?" Kakashi says as he starts to glow brightly.

"Looks like it's not your time yet. You still have things to do," his dad tells him.

"Dad," he stares at the elder male.

"I'm glad I was able to speak with you. Thank you for forgiving me, now I can move on," he tells him as his form starts to darken up. "I can finally see your mother again…"

~3~

Kakashi's eye opens wide all of a sudden and he quickly sits up, startling both Chouji and his father. "Kakashi, too!" Chouza gleefully says as he quickly goes to the side of his friend.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked them.

"Kakashi!" Chouji shouts with tears in her eyes.

"I can explain everything," Katsuyu tells them.

~3~

As soon as he finished using his Jutsu, Nagato released the sign on his hands as he was panting from the exertion. "You…" Naruto stops as she stares at him with worry in her eyes.

"War brings death, and wounds and pain to both sides…There's nothing harder to accept than the deaths of those you love, so you believe…they could never die," Nagato says as blood drips from his chin. "Especially, those who haven't known war, like…your generation. You try to find meaning in death, but…there's only pain…and hatred…that you don't know what to do with. Dying like trash, never ending hatred, pain that never heals…That…is war," he gasps out as he stares into Naruto's eyes. "Naruto…this…is what…you must face…" He smiles as he struggles to keep his eyes open and chuckles. "The book…and you…It's like…someone…set this all up…or…maybe…this is the hand of the real God," he says as Konan starts taking her false tree down, the slips of paper slipping away slowly as light is now shining down on Naruto's face. "My role is over now, Naruto…you…can really…" His voice fades as Konan starts wielding her paper, making it float in the breeze and wrap up her two teammates bodies, gently.

"You're taking him, too?" Naruto asks as the last bit of paper starts to seal up Yahiko's form.

"This God realm Pain was created from Yahiko's corpse. He was someone very special to us," Konan tells him as she keeps her eyes on her task.

"That's…Yahiko?" The blond asks as she stares at Konan with sad eyes, watching as Konan floats both bodies that are now completely wrapped in her papers. "What about you? I don't want you to think you'd just return to Akatsuki…"

"I'm through with Akatsuki, Yahiko and Nagato were everything to me," she tells her. "Yahiko's dream and Nagato's dream…If they've entrusted their dreams to you, then now you are their dreams. Nagato believed in you, so I believe in you, too. Amegakure will help you make that dream come true." Naruto sadly stares down thinking about what Jiraiya told her when she was a few years younger.

"The name Naruto, and the guts to never give up, and Pain that's what my master and fellow pupil have given me!" Naruto tells her as she stares at Konan with a serious look on her face, showing Konan she wasn't wrong to give this girl the right to be the one to handle Yahiko and Nagato's dreams. She held her hand up and quickly created a bouquet of paper roses.

"This time, I hope for you these will be flowers of hope that never die," she tells the young girl as she hands them over to her, making a small but sad smile pop up on her lips.

~3~

Naruto ambled along the forest where she confronted Nagato and Konan, panting with exertion from every step she took. She staggered and started falling only to be caught by Kakashi, the shock showed on her face. "Good job," he tells her as he quickly to her light weight onto his back.

"Kakashi!" She says with a weak excitement that her sensei/team leader was now alive.

"Just hang on," he told her and started carrying her back to the village. He trudged along and stopped when they come to the clearing that is right outside of Konoha, where a huge group of Shinobi and villagers were waiting for her, cheering her for coming back and being their heroine. Naruto's eyes widen as she looks at every single one with awe and shock as they continued to cheer her on. "They've all been waiting for your return," Kakashi tells her and remembers what she said when she first became a member of his team. _'Naruto,'_ he let her down off of his back. _'You did good.'_ He thought as he watched everyone that came running up to them.

"I told them everything that happened," Katsuyu tells her as the girl remains thunderstruck.

"What was he like!?" One villager asked her as they all reached her and practically glomped her, drawing a cry from her lips.

"Are you hurt?" Another asks as they stare at her with worry in their eyes.

"Ow! Don't shove!" She says as she is still sore from the entire fight.

 _'Thank god, Naruto,'_ Hinata thought as she couldn't wipe the tears of relief quick enough from her cheeks.

"Sakura," Naruto noticed her teammate wade through the crowd as she slowly approached her.

"You're always so rash, dummy!" Sakura shouts at her and pops her aside her head drawing an "Ow!" from the pigtailed blond before she hugs the girl to her. "Thank you," she says as she felt so relieved that the girl was still alive after rescuing the entire village. Every single villager cheered for her and picked her small form up and started tossing her in the air as those that knew her grin, watching the girl fly up to only be caught by the horde.

"What is it?" Shikaku asked the ANBU that appeared suddenly behind him.

"Emergency meeting, you're to report to the council room immediately," the man tells him.

"Already?" He says and stares back at the girl who is still being cheered on by the village.

~3~

Inside the main tent where the Hokage is resting, Naruto and Kakashi were brought there so they could see Tsunade for themselves. "She used Katsuyu to protect the village, and she's been unconscious ever since. I don't know when she'll wake up," Sakura tells them.

"Tsunade…" Naruto stares down at the woman with sad eyes.


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** I know it's taking a good bit but since I've been working it will probably take even less since I've been working whenever I have time on the story. I'm just wondering what the hell to do and why these people believe that I won't do what I say. I've already gotten a job so that should tell them that I'm serious about this. Anyway, just read and you will enjoy it, hopefully.

Thanks to:

 **Melyway:** Well, here is the new chapter, I hope you love it and are enjoying the Holidays.

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Sakura and Naruto were sitting on the stacks of timber that the carpenters were using to rebuild the village. "There's so much I want to tell Tsunade," Naruto tells her as she looks down while tugging lightly on one of her pig tails.

"Don't worry; I'm sure she'll wake up soon! She's the Hokage; after all, she's a strong woman! She'll be fine!" She tells her before she looks down showing her sad eyes. _'Why am I trying to cheer her up? I'm the one who needs cheering up, Naruto.'_

"Long time no see, Naruto! Sakura!" A loud voice says, drawing their heads up in shock. There stood Tazuna and Inari, who is rubbing a towel over his face. "I never thought I'd see you heroes again, Naruto!"

"Are you?" Sakura stares at the two, confused at who they were. Naruto's eyes widen when her memory pops up both of them from when she was younger.

"Inari and Tazuna!" She shouts and stands up with a huge grin on her face. "Inari, you're all grown up! And you look even older, gramps."

"Give me a break," Tazuna sighs even though he has a grin on his face.

"I'm a carpenter now. We're here to help rebuild Konoha, and I thought I'd come and say hi to you guys while I'm here," Inari tells her. "You look so pretty, Sakura."

"Oh, really?" Sakura says as she blushes while pushing her hair back from her face.

"I'm sorry about what happened with Gato, but thanks to you, the land of waves is a prosperous nation now," Tazuna tells them.

"So now it's our turn to help you out!" Inari says as he smiles back at the two.

"Inari, thanks," Naruto says as she grins while rubbing the back of her head.

"Huh!? Oh, you're here already?" Kakashi says as he approaches the small group.

"Hey, Kakashi! We came as soon as we heard Konoha was in trouble!" Tazuna shouts at him.

"I see," he says as he walks closer.

"Huh?" He cocked his head to the side.

"What is it? If there's anything you need, just let me know," Kakashi tells them.

"Where's Sasuke?" He asks the younger man. "I wanted to talk to him, too."

"Oh," Kakashi says as he looked at the blond out from the corner of his eyes, him doing this made the two males confused. "Uh, the thing is…Sasuke's, uh."

"Sasuke and I had a fight, so he left the village for a while, but…I'll bring him back soon! You can say hi when he gets back," she tells them as she laughs fakely. "I'm sure Sasuke'd love to see you again.

"Y-yeah," Sakura stutters out.

"What was the trouble, some sort of love triangle?" He asked her as he remembers the fights they had when they were at his village helping him build the bridge.

"Of course not!" Naruto says with more force than needed.

 _'Heh, she really won't even let me talk about Sasuke anymore. I guess there will never be any hope for me,'_ Sakura thought as she stared at the girl with a wry smirk on her face.

 _'Sasuke, where are you?'_ Naruto thought as she slowly lowers her hand from waving goodbye to the two. Memories of her and Sasuke's fight flew through her brain. "I understand now how Sasuke felt," she said, drawing the other two's attention to her. Kakashi stared at her with a confused eye, not sure what she was getting at. "I know what revenge is," she said as she thought of what the last Pain told her and her eyes narrowed. "I thought I understood him, but really I didn't. NO wonder nothing I said to him got through."

"Naruto," Sakura says before the girl turns and smiles at the two.

"If I can't understand his pain, I can't laugh with him. No wonder he wouldn't even fight with me. It might hurt a lot, but I want to fight with him for real this time, 'cause I want team 7 to laugh together again, Sasuke included!" She says as she grins and puts her arms behind her head, making the other two smiles at her. Suddenly, they could hear what sounds like a running animal behind them; they turn and see Kiba sliding towards them on top of Akamaru.

"There you are!" He shouts out at the three.

"Kiba! What is it?" Sakura asks.

"Listen, just calm down and listen! Tsunade's been dismissed as Hokage!" He shouts at them.

"What!?" Naruto asks as her eyes widen.

"Huh?" Sakura says as she is shocked as well.

"The 6th Hokage is some guy named Danzo! I don't know him, but apparently he's pretty shady!" Kiba says still shouting.

"Danzo!" Sakura says as she had a bad feeling about this.

 _'Danzo! Oh this isn't going to be good…'_ Naruto thought.

 _ **'No shit, kit. How much you want to bet the next thing will be our Ninja's hunting down Sasuke?'**_ The nine-tails said from inside of her, a growl sounding out inside of her chest.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Kakashi says.

"That's not the only thing! The new Hokage has given permission to dispose of Sasuke as a missing-nin," Kiba gasps out.

"What the hell do you mean!?" Naruto asks with a trembling voice and her eyes tearing up a little.

"I don't know myself!" Kiba tells her, feeling bad to be the one to bring tears to her eyes.

"They're not willing to wait for Tsunade to recover, it's not surprising," Kakashi tells her, "and its true Sasuke is a missing-nin. The usual punishment for that is death. It's only because Tsunade was so lenient that he hasn't been killed yet."

"I'm…going to see Danzo!" Sakura tells her team leader.

"Wait, Sakura! Storming in there and yelling at him won't solve anything," Kakashi tells her as he holds her back.

"But Tsunade hasn't even woken up, it's not fair! And then there's Sasuke! I can't stand by and let this happen!" She shouts at the man.

"I'm going too," Naruto says as she spins around to leave.

"Calm down, both of you. You have to stay cool-headed or it'll just make things worse," he tells them as he wants to grab the girl and pin her down along side Sakura.

"How can I be calm!? I won't let him lay a finger on Sasuke! You know what Danzo is like if he gets his way, Kakashi-sensei!" She shouts at him as she tries to ward him off.

"I said wait!" He yells and grabs her arm. "Danzo knows you'd react like this, what are you going to do when you see him?"

"I won't attack him! I'm just going to ask him to change his mind about Sasuke!" She shouts at him as she knows that if she doesn't Sasuke is as good as dead.

"I know you can't just leave it at that when it comes to Sasuke! Mostly because you have the twins in mind, but the Jonins may not have voted yet, but Danzo is still Hokage for the time being. One wrong move and you could get thrown in jail," he tells her as worry fills him.

"I don't care! I'm going!" Naruto shouts back at him and yanks her arm from his grasp.

"Me, too!" Sakura shouts.

"H-hey, guys…" Kiba mutters, trying to get their attention.

"Naruto, you have the nine-tailed beast within you, that's why Danzo wants to keep you in the village. You'll be playing right into his hands, not counting he isn't really informed on who the twins are since we have been keeping it hush hush about them. If you don't calm down then you won't be able to look for Sasuke, stay calm," he tells her as he looks into her blue orbs.

~3~

Naruto and Sakura were walking around the ridges where Sai was waiting. _'Should I really…relax?'_ He thought and his eyes flashed up to where he saw his two team members approaching.

"Sai, we were just looking for you!" Sakura says as they run up to him when they first set their eyes on him.

"I wanted to ask you something," Naruto tells him as she stops in front of him.

"What?" Sai asks.

"Tell us more about Danzo," Sakura tells him.

"I can't," he says, drawing surprise to his teammates.

"Why not!?" Naruto shouts.

"Are you taking his side!?" Sakura shouts right besides Naruto.

"No, that's not it. I literally can't talk about him, because of this," he says and opens his mouth showing a seal on the back of his tongue.

"No fucking way, dammit," Naruto grits as she glares down at the ground. "A silence seal."

"A seal?" Sakura asked as she was confused.

"Yeah, Danzo put it on me. If I try to talk about him, my whole body will be paralyzed and I'll be unable to talk or move, all the foundation members have it," he says and cocks an eye at Naruto. "How do you know of this seal, Naruto?"

"Because it's one of the seals that were stolen from my clan," she growls out and punches the rock wall besides her. "I wasn't even old enough to protect our family seal scrolls and it became a lost cause on who stole it but it winds out that Danzo isn't just a creep but a thief as well."

"He's really cautious," Sakura says as she turns to Sai.

"Damn, so they weren't the ones who developed it after all…" He sighs and looks at Naruto then at Sakura. "Danzo and the foundation are top secret. We've done a lot of dirty deeds to protect the village, so he has to make sure no info can get out. Even if we're captured, no one can make us talk."

"But, I don't get how he could do that to his own men!" Sakura protests.

"That's how he's protected Konoha. You may not approve of his methods, but he cares about the village," Sai tells them.

"Then why did he go back on Tsunade's promise about Sasuke!? He's planning to kill Sasuke!" Sakura shouts.

"R-really? I haven't heard anything about that," Sai says and his eyes widen when a tan woman with dark hair pulls out her sword and point it at Sakura, making Naruto go on defense.

"Tell me everything you know about Sasuke! Since he seems to be a friend of yours!" She demands. Sai winces as Naruto takes his sword and deflects the sword the woman was holding away from pointing it at Sakura. She throws her elbow towards the woman but before she could connect, the white haired man that was with the woman stops it with the end of the hilt of his sword.

 _'Kagebunshin no Jutsu!'_ Naruto thought as soon as she formed the seals even while holding Sai's short sword. The woman swings her body around about to retaliate.

"Don't cut them!" The man tells her.

"I know!" She shouts at him and swings her sword around so the blunt side would be what she attacks with. When Naruto's shadow clone appears she uses both hands and grasps the blade of the woman's sword. "Whoa!"

"Take this!" Sakura shouts as she boosts Chakra into her fists, while Sai swung his foot around, missing the male who ends up kicking his foot into Sakura's abdomen causing her to fly from the kick that draws a cry from her lips.

"Sakura!" Naruto shouts as she rushes to her teammate's side but before she could reach her the woman swings around and brings an elbow to the side of Naruto's clones head, making it disappear. "What're you doing!?" Naruto shouts at them as she helps Sakura sit up, Sai quickly going to their side.

"Kumogakure Ninjas? What're you doing here!?" Sakura wonders.

"You were talking about Sasuke! Tell us about him!" The male demands.

"What does it have to do with you!?" Sakura grits out as her eyebrows narrow.

"Everything! Uchiha Sasuke attacked our village!" He shouts as he points at her, making the trios eyes widen in shock.

"That missing-Nin Uchiha took our Master! We don't even know if our Master is dead or alive!" The woman shouts.

"N-no way, why would Sasuke…do that!?" Sakura squeaks out.

"How should I know what Akatsuki wants!?" The male shouts.

"What do you mean Akatsuki!?" Naruto asks as her eyes widened. Unknowingly, two pairs of eyes peek over the cliff and watched on to the confrontation.

"Huh!? Are you kidding!? Sasuke is a member of Akatsuki!" When she shouts this everyone was shocked.

"Raikage sent us here because you let that missing-Nin run free! We have permission from the Hokage to kill him now!" The man shouts at them as he glares at them.

 _'Sasuke, attacked their master?'_ Naruto pales.

"We will have our revenge!" The man tells them.

"We'll destroy Uchiha!" The woman tells them.

 _'Sasuke, what happened to you!?'_ Naruto wonders as tears fill her eyes. The woman pointed her sword at them again.

"Tell us everything you know about Sasuke, including his style and techniques. We need everything you've learned about Akatsuki and Sasuke's allies," she demanded.

"Y-you've gotta be kidding! How could Sasuke be a member of Akatsuki!?" Sakura asks.

"God, you're so annoying! What's Sasuke to you anyway!?" She growls out to the pink haired girl.

"I…I…" Sakura says as she started tearing up, making Naruto growl out as she starts crying.

"Nothing, Sasuke doesn't like her, and that is all you're going to get from me," Naruto says as she blinks away her tears. "Are you sure!?"

"Yeah! We saw the Uchiha crest! The description matches up, too," she tells the blond as Sakura continues to cry and move away from Naruto. "What're you crying for!? I'm the one who wants to cry! Your crying won't bring Killerbee or Yugito back! If you've got time to cry, then tell me what you know about Sasuke!"

"Wait a minute," Sai says.

"Huh!?" The woman says.

"Now that the order's been sent out to kill Sasuke, I'm sure the village will provide you with all the information you need," Sai tells her. "You don't need to pressure these guys for it."

"Yeah, they will! Our team leader's being briefed right now! We just thought we'd see if we could find out any more info!" She shouts again.

"We can't just sit around! Not when we don't know what happened to our master!" The guy shouts. "You guys can't understand how that feels!" When he says this, Naruto thought of Jiraiya and the fact that he was her master and killed making her want to avenge him.

"Is your master a host?" She asks them.

"How did you know!?" The guy asks.

"I'm a host, too. Akatsuki is going after all of us; this is my fight, too. Akatsuki wants the hosts alive, so your master may still be alive yet," she tells them.

"What!?" The guy says as his jaw drops, barely holding his sucker inside of his mouth.

"Really!?" The woman says as her eyes widen.

"You should try to rescue him before going after Sasuke!" Naruto tells them.

"Are you sure? Are you really, really sure!?" The guy asks, desperately.

"I told you he wouldn't go down that easily!" The woman says with a smile on her lips.

"I'll help you guys find him, I'll tell you everything I know about Akatsuki," she says.

"You're smarter than you look, Blondie! Tell us about Sasuke, too!" The woman says as she swings her sword so it's pointing away from them.

"Naruto!" Sakura tries to protest but the blond closes her eyes in annoyance.

"Leave this to me, Sakura," she tells her and stands up.

"What's your name?" The woman asks.

~3~

"This is good enough, isn't it?" The woman says as she pushes the girl up against the side of one of the newly built houses. "Ok, tell us about Sasuke." She demands and Naruto stares at her without even uttering a peep. "Tell us everything you know, everything about him." She closes her eyes, seeing Sasuke's smirking face in her memories. "What's the matter? Come on, tell us!"

"I can't do it, I can't betray him," she tells the woman as she looks down with tears shining in her eyes, making the woman's eyes widen.

"You've gotta be kidding! You bitch, how can you say that now!?" She demands from the blond, pushing her arm into Naruto's throat now. "What's going on!? Say something!"

"I know it's selfish, but I can't sell him out," Naruto tells her, not giving her the reason.

"Bitch!" The woman shouts as she presses her arm more into Naruto's throat.

"I understand you wanting revenge, but if you let hatred have control and kill Sasuke, my friends might not let that go!" Naruto squeaks out as the woman is constricting her throat. "They'll get their own revenge and it'll just keep going! Friends we're supposed to protect will end up killing each other!"

"Your friend Sasuke's the one who started all this! I don't care about anyone else! I'm gonna kill him!" She shouts in her face.

"So, what should we do with our hatred? How are you going to make it up to us!?" The man asks as he stares at her through confused eyes as the young woman stares down at nothing.

"Hit me as much as you want, that's all I can…" As soon as Naruto says this, the woman sends a punch to her cheek, making Naruto's head snap to the side and her whole body loses balance to hit the floor with a cry.

"That's a little too convenient! You think that'll really make us feel better!? Well, let's give it a try, then! Come on!" The woman shouts as she straddles the blond and sends another punch to her the same cheek, drawing a cry of pain along with a splatter of blood. Sai watches from behind a tree, trying to figure out why Naruto is letting her do this. After beating on her for a while, the woman is panting for breath and Naruto staggers as she gets up onto her feet again, her face worse for wear along with her scuffed up clothes. The man stares at her, speechless that she is able to even stand on her feet. "I'm telling you, no amount of hitting you will make me feel better! I'll keep this up until you tell me about Sasuke!" She shouts as Sai gets a dark look on his face, hating that his friend is having to go through this. She growls out and raises her fist to punch her yet again, but Sai steps in and catches her fist, surprising the woman. "Don't interfere, this is what she wants." Sai's grip on the woman's hand tightens, showing the fury that he couldn't show on his face.

"Sai, stay out of this," Naruto tells him.

"Naruto, there's no need for you to get beat up for Sasuke's sake," he says as his brows furrow for the first time, showing he is pissed off.

"Shut up, it's…my decision," she says.

"Sasuke has done nothing but hurt you. If it were me…" Sai stops.

"Fine, if you're gonna interfere; I'll just hit you, too!" She raises her other fist but before she could hit him with it her companion catches her by her wrist.

"Give it a rest, Karui! Beating these two up won't get us anywhere. You know that, don't you!?" He tells her as he didn't want the two kids who just appeared to witness unneeded violence. She jerks her arm from his grasp with a humpf. Just as soon as the girl of the bunch comes up and pops her in her tit, drawing a cry from her lips.

"Leave my mommy alone," Shina growls out with red eyes as she lands on her feet from jumping just to land her hit. The two had wide eyes when they saw the toddler standing in front of Naruto and Sai, while the other one sat on a huge fox in as it slides in to protect its master.

"Little brat," she grits out as she rubs her boob. "Who are these kids," she wonders and turns her eyes to stare at her companion whose eyes are widened from shock, staring at the twins.

"She's your mom?" He asks the two, who nod.

"Why does that boy look so familiar?" The woman wonders and then saw the blond strands of his hair and her eyes widen. "No way, she's actually their birth mom." She grits her teeth and stands up straight. "Forget this, they promised they'd help us find Killerbee. What? You're not doubting their promise? That's not like you!"

"Naruto," Sai says as he holds her up, drawing the twins to stare at their mom.

"Even after all that, she wouldn't sell out her friend. She may be the enemy, but I like her. No one should be hasty with their words," he says as he stared at the woman's damaged face as he watched Sai help her sit. "No matter what you do, she's not gonna sell out Sasuke. She's not the type to go back on her word."

"Omoi, Karui, have you found out anything?" A blond woman asks as she runs up to them.

"Oh! Captain Samui," Omoi says and turns to stare at the woman, making Karui as well.

"You're not causing trouble, are you?" Samui asks as she saw the beaten girl leaning against the fence with two toddlers holding tears in their eyes as they stare at their mom.

"More importantly, we found out Killerbee might still be alive! We've gotta rescue him! First we've gotta find out where Akatsuki's hideout is!" Omui shouts out as Karui holds a guilty look on her face.

"Then what? What can we do against people who were able to capture Killerbee? Besides, what are we supposed to do, search their hideouts one by one? First we have to find out more information! We don't want a repeat of what happened with Yugito. We'll take our info to Raikage directly! There's too much to sort through ourselves," she tells the two.

"T-take me…with…you…I…want to help your host out," Naruto says as the twins glared back at the trio.

"Naruto," Sai says sternly.

"Besides, I want to talk…to Raikage…" She tells the woman.

"Talk to Raikage? You've gotta be kidding!" Karui shouts at her.

"Karui…" the woman holds a stern tone while holding her arm up to stop the young woman from going to hit the girl again. _'This kid is Naruto, the Uzumaki Naruto the whole village is talking about,'_ she thought as she hated the fact that two children had to watch this happen to the girl. "We don't know anything about you; I can't let you meet Raikage now when he won't have a full guard." Naruto stares down after she says this, depressed. "Come on, Karui, Omoi, let's go! We have permission to access all their info on Sasuke and Akatsuki. It'll take time to copy everything, so I'll need your help." The trio rushes off, jumping on construction sites.

"Sai," Naruto grits out, in pain.

"What?" He asks his friend as the twins stare at her.

"Take…me…to Kakashi and Yamato," she demands.

~3~

Inside one of the tents, we find Naruto who is being bandaged up by little Shina who seems to be used to this. Futarou is standing with a fox holding a sheet, glaring at the two. "No staring at ladies." He grumbles and stares at Sai who sighs and shakes his head at the boy.

"Maybe Sakura should take a look at you," Sai tells her.

"I don't want to have to explain this. Besides, I heal quickly, so it's ok," Naruto says with a smirk.

"I can wrap mommy's wounds pretty good, since I'm used to it. She never has to wear them for long though," she says as she kisses her mom's arm. "There, a kiss to make it heal faster." Yamato and Kakashi watched, grinning at Naruto's little nurse.

"Sai, I'm sorry and thanks," she stares at him with one eye as Shina makes Futarou drop the sheet since Naruto is all bandaged up.

"No problem," he says with a smile on his lips.

"They really did a number on you," Kakashi tells her and she giggles.

"Ow!" Naruto grits out as Sai checked the bandages that little Shina has done.

"S-sorry," Sai says and flinches when the toddler smacks him aside the head.

"Don't mess up my handy work!" She says sternly.

"You'd better rest for a while," Kakashi tells her.

"I have to go see the Raikage!" Naruto demands, making the two older males eyes widen in shock.

"What'll you do when you see him?" Kakashi asks.

"They'll be holding the conference soon! Every village has placed restrictions on missions and on leaving the village!" Yamato crabs at her.

"I'm gonna convince him to forgive Sasuke!" She smirks up at the two.

"You don't even have your seal anymore! As the host, you shouldn't be allowed to leave the village! Besides, in the last battle, you got all the way up to eight tails! You're lucky the seal worked and held back the fox, but what about next time?" He shouts at her. "And I have to help rebuild the village; I can't be with you all the time!"

"I met the 4th," she tells them and their eyes widen. "He's the one who stopped me from becoming the nine-tailed beast."

"Wh-what do you mean? The 4th is…" Yamato pauses.

"Not much is known about the Shiki Fujin technique. He must have put some of his energy inside Naruto at the end," Kakashi tells him.

"He told me, the guy with the mask from Akatsuki was behind the fox attack 16 years ago! And he was so strong not even the 4th could do anything against him! He said that guy's behind everything! He was just using Pain. If Sasuke's joined Akatsuki, then he's probably using Sasuke, too." Naruto tells them.

"It's just as Jiraiya feared. That's…who was behind the attack 16 years ago. He had the Sharingan. Madara is the only Uchiha missing-nin who hated Konoha that much and had the power to control the fox," Kakashi says as the room filled to the brim with tense air.

"When it comes to Madara, I could believe just about anything. Even that he was still alive," Yamato tells them.

 _'Madara,'_ Naruto remembers the conversation that he, Sasuke and Kyuubi had in his inner sanctum. "Who's Madara?"

"The former leader of the Uchiha clan, who's said to have been defeated by the first Hokage. We have to tell the elders, Sai!" Kakashi stares at the young man.

"Yes?" He stares back.

"You tell the Hokage," he says.

"Oh, ok," he replies, confused.

"Naruto! What did the 4th tell you?" He asks her.

"Huh?" She mumbles.

"Fathers usually have things to say to their children," he tells her as he remembers what his father said to him when he was in the death realm. Naruto smiles and grips the blanket in her hands.

"He said he has faith in me!" She grins widely even though it hurt.

"Great! You go after Raikage! Well, Yamato and I will go with you!" Kakashi flashes her a thumbs up before he pounds on Yamato's back.

"What!?" Yamato grits out not believing his ears.


	30. Chapter 30

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from creating these stories about them.

 **A/N:** Sorry for taking so long. So hard to keep a job around the holidays since they only want the help for a short time so now I'm going to see about online resorts and maybe I can stay with them since I'm practically online all the time. Anyway, I hope you all loved the last chapter since I angrily and furiously wrote it, taking my frustrations out on it.

Thanks:

 **Melyway:** I'm glad I made you laugh, though I figured most of it was the boob popping part.

 **Chapter Thirty**

Naruto swung her cloak around and readjusted her Hitae Ite on her forehead, smiling down at the twins she says, "Ok! All ready!" The two smile up at their mom and hug her around her legs.

"Be safe on your journey!" They shout at her in unison right before Naruto steps outside to see Konohamaru waiting for her on the secret pathway that she will be taking to make sure no one knows she left the village. Two ANBU's that are tailing her watch her and the boy as they face off.

"What's going on?" One of them whispers to the other.

"I don't know, what are they doing?" He whispers back.

"Oiroke no Jutsu!" The two shout at the same time, shocking the ANBU right before Kakashi lands right in front of them, using the Sharingan to send them into an illusion.

"Dream of Naruto for a while, were you curious about Oiroke no Jutsu? Sorry," he tells them as they fall down on the ground, their brain warping with different images. _'Looks like Root doesn't trust Sai much anymore,'_ he thought as he covers his eye again.

"I heard what you did," Naruto tells Konohamaru when they finished their little show off. "You used Rasengan on Pain, right!?" She asks as she grins and a little blush covers his cheeks. "Good job, Konohamaru! You're a hero, too!" She tells him as she rubs the top of his head making him giggle. "You're a faster learner than me! Next time I'll show you how to make a bigger one," she tells him as she turns and tugs the twins towards him. "For now, can you keep an eye out on these two for me?" With that she jumps off into the forest.

"Ok!" He shouts back at her then stares down at the twins who stare up at him in wonder, while Kakashi smiles back at them from the bushes.

"Let's get tracking," Yamato says as he felt his seeds take root in the souls of the trio they are going to be following.

"Right!" Naruto says as she finishes stretching. The three of them bounce off into the forest, undetected. After a while, Naruto broke the silence as she sneezes loudly. "Oooh, it got really cold all of a sudden!"

"Shhh! We want to remain undetected!" Yamato quietly says as he shushes her over his shoulder.

~3~

Raikage and his two guards were sliding around in the snow, trying to get to the meeting point where the five Kage meeting is being held. "Raikage, there's Samui's squad," one of his guards tells him.

"Right! Below us!" The Raikage says as he starts falling back to the ground right in front of the three man cell that is standing there waiting.

"We have returned from Konohagakure," Samui says as they all salute the Raikage with their fists over their chests.

"How did it go!?" Raikage's brash voice asks.

"Samui…someone followed you," one of Raikage's guards tells them. "Come out, Konoha dogs!" He shouts and Naruto jumps out of the snowy background to land with Kakashi and Yamato on each side of her. "You're not bad if you were able to track Samui."

"Y-you…" Omoi says as he stares back at the now bandaged up girl.

"Damn it, Naruto, you've gotta be kidding me!" Karui shouts out at her.

"Boss, that's Hatake Kakashi, the one on the right," the mostly silent guard of the Raikage says.

"Hmph, I know!" He grunts out and turns fully to stare at the small group. "Did the Hokage send you, Hatake Kakashi!?"

"No, we have a favor to ask you. Uzumaki Naruto of Konohagakure wishes to speak with you. Please, listen to her," he says to the huge man.

"Don't you think that's a little rude? You didn't ask ahead for an audience, and we're on our way to the meeting," the guard that has been speaking the most says to them.

"I'm well aware of that," Kakashi tells him.

"Alright, that kid there, right? Spit it out!" Raikage grits out as he stares at the blond girl who has a bandage over one of her eyes. She closes her eye and takes a deep breath before she opens it up.

"I want you to stop Sasuke's…Uchiha Sasuke's execution," she tells him.

"H-hey, you came all this way for that?" Omoi stutters out.

"Are you still on about that!?" Karui shouts at her as Samui stares at the girl speechless.

"I can't believe it," the silent guard utters.

"What are you saying?" The other one says as he stares at the bright blue eye of Naruto's.

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I have to try! Sasuke is the man that I love and I can't sit back and watch him be killed!" She shouts out as she scrunches her eye shut with the strain of the shout at the man. "And I don't want Sasuke to be the cause of a war between Konoha and Kumo! I don't want either of us to get caught up in revenge!"

"Let's go," Raikage says in his rare bit of a leveled voice and he and his group turn to leave.

"I'm begging you! I don't want anyone else getting killed for revenge!" Naruto shouts louder as she hits her knees, begging the man. "All Sasuke ever thought about was revenge! It consumed him and changed him! He was driven mad by revenge! He's not the same guy I knew anymore! I don't want that to happen to anyone else! I don't want people from Konoha and Kumo to be killing each other! So please…!" Tears start falling from her only revealing eye as she starts sobbing.

"I will kill Sasuke. It's up to you to make sure it stops there!" Raikage tells her.

"Ugh! You're so stupid!" Karui tells Naruto.

"Is that it? We're in a hurry," the loudmouth of Raikage's guards says as Naruto continues to let the tears go but now silently, hating that she wasn't successful.

"When you went after Hyuga's Byakugan, Konoha never did anything to retaliate. Your actions could have provoked a war, but we swallowed our bloody tears in order to prevent that," Yamato tells them. "Don't forget that you exist because of our precious sacrifices."

"This young Kunoichi before you may not be skilled at this, but she is begging you, for the sake of both Konoha and Kumo. Raikage, as one of the Kages, what is your opinion of this?" Kakashi asks.

"A Kunoichi should not be so quick to bow before another! Ninja's respect actions and strength! There should be no compromise between Ninjas. The history of the human race is a history of war! Ever since the three great Ninja wars, every country, every village has fought for the strongest techniques. The weak will be crushed! That is the inescapable truth of the Ninja world! Akatsuki will be internationally wanted criminals. Then the whole world will be after Sasuke, not just me. You beg for mercy for a criminal, for the safety of your friends, in the Ninja world, we do not call that friendship!" Raikage tells her and starts to walk by the group as he says his piece. "Kid, think about what you must do! You won't get far in the Ninja world if you keep acting so stupidly!" After he says this, Omoi felt bad for the girl as Karui snickers at her.

"Naruto, that's enough, get up," Kakashi tells her as she still kneels in the snow. The Raikage took one more glance at the girl and knew there was some other reason why this girl was begging him to not kill Sasuke.

~3~

Naruto lay back on the tatami mat and stared up at the ceiling, the emotions swirling inside of her threatening to burst free from her in sorrow. _'Sasuke, where are you now? What are you thinking? Are you thinking of me and Sakura and Kakashi, even a little?'_ She rolled over and curled one of her delicate fists by her cheek as her blue eyes dulled from the sorrow that fills her with each uncertain question filling her mind. _'You defeated your brother, you got your revenge, do you feel better? Or has it just gotten worse? Sasuke, why haven't you come back to Konoha? Come back to me…meet our children.'_ She starts shaking as she tries to keep in her emotions. _'Has the hatred eaten you up, Sasuke? Have you really become nothing but a common criminal? I don't,'_ she balls her hands into a fist and closes her eyes to make sure that her tears don't fall, _'understand you anymore…'_

"Shall we have a little chat, Uzumaki Naruto?" Tobi tells the girl whose back is towards him, her eyes widen in shock.

"Y-you!" She shouts at him over her shoulder until one of her clones uses the Rasengan, destroying the room's roof.

"A Rasengan, eh? You know full well it won't work on me," Tobi tells her and wood starts to wind its way around Tobi's body while Naruto releases her clone, staring up at the man who was responsible before he surrounds her in a wooden cage.

"Naruto, stay still," Yamato tells her.

"Nice move, Hatake Kakashi, you're fast," Tobi complements him as he knew the man is readying his famous attack on the man.

"I won't let you get your hands on Naruto that easily, Uchiha Madara!" Kakashi says as he stares at him through the Sharingan.

"You must have heard me, then, right? None of your attacks will work on me, Uchiha Madara," Tobi brags as he looks through the only hole in his mask.

"So, you admit you're Uchiha Madara!?" Kakashi asks.

"I don't know whether you just disappear or turn into a ghost or what, but if you want to catch Naruto, you have to be solid," Yamato tells him. "So that's what we aimed for, this is my territory now."

"Hahaha, I don't think it will be so easy. I have a plan, too, you know. I just want to talk for now," Tobi says.

"Talk?" Kakashi asks, not believing what this man is saying.

"Yes, how did you make Nagato betray me? Naruto, I'm curious about you," the man wonders as he stares at Naruto.

"That doesn't matter! What are you gonna do to Sasuke!? Tell me about Sasuke!" The girl demands as she grips on the wooden slats in the cage, glaring up at the man.

"Sasuke, eh?" He says and the older two stare at him with expressionless faces. "Alright, I'll tell you, about a man eaten up by the Ninja world's hatred and bitterness, about Uchiha Sasuke!" Naruto beats on the wood and glares at him.

"Liar! That's not true!" She shouts at him.

"It…can't be," Yamato says as he stares up at the man.

"We can't discuss Sasuke without first discussing Itachi," Tobi says.

"Quit fooling around, I don't believe you," Kakashi tells him.

"No, I'm not lying," Tobi tells them as he stands immobilized by the wood. "That's the truth about Itachi. He died for Sasuke, and for Konoha."

"What do you mean? If that's true and Sasuke knows it, then why would he work with Akatsuki!? He would follow Itachi's wishes and return to Konoha," Kakashi tells him since he has better knowledge about Sasuke's mind.

"Heh, as Sasuke's friend and teacher, you guys think you know him, but you don't understand him at all, you've got it all wrong. He's the real deal, he is a true avenger," Tobi says.

"Did you do that to him!?" Naruto shouts up at him as she grits her teeth.

"No, I didn't," he tells her. "He chose it himself."

"Liar!" Naruto shouts out as she scrunches her eyes closed, trying to make sure that she doesn't cry in front of the man.

"I took a gamble, not knowing whether he would choose to follow Itachi's wishes, or choose revenge against Konoha. He chose revenge, that just means in his heart, he was always one of us. Right now, Sasuke's goal…is vengeance against Konoha for what they did to the Uchiha clan, and to Itachi," he explains further.

"Why? Why?" Naruto almost quietly asked as her face is still hidden from the man. "Why did this happen to him!? Why did he turn to revenge!?" By the end she was shouting yet again.

"He had no choice. This is the hate-filled destiny of the Uchiha clan. It's a curse that has followed us for generations," he tells her.

"Hate-filled destiny? Curse!?" She grit out as her red ringed blue eyes stare up at him.

"Yes, the curse of hatred that began long ago with the founder of the Ninjas, the Rikudo Sage, the Sage of the Six Paths," Tobi tells them.

"The Rikudo Sage? He's nothing but a myth. The Rinnegan is just a mutation…" Kakashi says.

"The myth was based on real events. The Rikudo Sage preached the way of the Ninja and tried to bring peace to the world, but when it was still but a dream, his time came. He had entrusted two boys with the power and will of the way of the Ninja. The elder was born with the Sage's "eyes", and was gifted with his powerful Chakras and spiritual energy. He believed that might was the key to peace. The younger was born with the Sage's "body", and was gifted with his life force and physical energy. He believed love was the key to peace. On his deathbed, the Sage had to choose a successor, and this eternal curse of hatred was born from that decision," Tobi explained.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asks.

"The Sage believed, that it was the younger, not the elder, who was best-suited to be his successor, and chose him. Convinced he should have been chosen, the elder could not accept the decision, and attacked his brother in hatred. Time passed and though their blood had thinned, the descendants of the two brothers still warred with each other. The descendants of the elder were called Uchiha, and the descendants of the younger were called Senju. My first battle with the first Hokage, Senju Hashirama, was fated. This is only the second time we've met, but I can tell the fire of the Senju clan dwells within you," he says as he looks down at Naruto. "I can see the first Hokage in you. Though dead, he still lives on. He was my rival, and I admired him and hated him more than anyone else. Senju and Uchiha, fire and hatred, Naruto and Sasuke. You two have been chosen by fate. Revenge is the Uchiha clan's destiny. Sasuke has taken on the hatred of the entire clan, and he will inflict that curse's hatred on the world. Hatred is his greatest weapon, his friend and his strength. That is Sasuke's dogma! Naruto, someday you will have to fight Sasuke, or rather, I will make you fight Sasuke. This fated battle has been long in coming. I will use Sasuke to force people to acknowledge the Uchiha clan."

"Sasuke isn't your toy! You're out of line!" She yells back at him.

"Do you think you can change Sasuke's heart as you did Nagato's? I think you're the one who's out of line, Naruto. If you want to control people's hearts, you have to use the darkness within them. Nagato was just too easily influenced," he tells her.

"You and Nagato are nothing alike!" She shouts as she remembers the conversation she had with Nagato at the end. "He may have been going about it differently, but in his heart he wished for peace, but not you!"

"Heh, you're right," he says as he looks at her through the hole in his mask.

"If all you want is to make people acknowledge the Uchiha clan, then why do you need the tailed beasts? What the hell are you really after? What do you want?" Kakashi questioned him.

"Well, if you must know, it is to become complete," he tells them.

"Complete!?" Kakashi stiffens as he looks at the man.

"What do you mean!?" Yamato asks.

"There's no use in telling you. There are other, more effective places to have this conversation," he says as he and his form starts wavering, shocking Kakashi. "It's been fun…chatting, see ya," he tells them as he fades into his own realm. A little afterwards and Naruto is sitting on the roof, hurting from all that Tobi revealed to them. The owner of the inn is down in front of the Inn crabbing out Kakashi and Yamato.

"What the heck do you call this, eh?! You Shinobi are all the same!" He shouts at them.

"W-we're very sorry, I'll fix it right up myself," Yamato says as he rubs the back of his head. Kakashi looks up at the girl knowing her emotions were in turmoil now as she remembers what Tobi says. The flashbacks throw pain into her chest and she closes her eyes.

"Ugh, there's nothing for it but to meet him face-to-face," Naruto says and she continues to concentrate more as the snowflakes get larger with each minute. _'If I just keep on as I have been doing, I'm never going to find Sasuke. It's Sennin Mode that I need to use. First, I should work on extending how long I can hold it for!'_ She thought, not caring that she now has a pile of snow on her head.

"Naruto! Come back inside already!" Yamato fusses at her and her eyes widen as the markings for Sage Mode fade from them. They notice the group of five down below them with Rock Lee giving them thumbs up.

"There you are! Finally!" Kiba sys.

"Sakura-chan! Sai, Kiba, bushy-brows!" Naruto says as she stares down at them in shock.

"Why are all of you here?" Kakashi asks as Yamato wonders.

"Naruto, there's something we have to talk about," Sakura tells her as she stares up at the confused blond.

~3~

"Eh!?" Everyone shouted in unison as they heard what Sakura said.

"What…did…you say just now…Sakura-chan!? I…dunno if…I heard you wrong. Can you say it again?" Naruto asks as everyone is staring at the pink haired young woman.

"What I said, Naruto is that Sasuke doesn't deserve you and I want to kill him for how he has treated you. I'm saying that I'm glad there's nothing between Sasuke and me anymore! I dunno what I was thinking, liking a person like that. I'm worried about you and the twins here," she tells them.

"I've always gotten pissed off at you because of your fangirling but even so you've never stopped. So why now?" Naruto asks. "You have to be joking right now. So what changed?"

"Nothing, really. I just suddenly realized there's no sense in continuing to like someone who's a fugitive and a criminal. I can't stay a kid forever, I want to face reality. I also, have seen how much pain you have been in since the fight you two had years ago," Sakura tells her as she moves closer to her friend, with such a fake smile on her face. "So Naruto, you don't need to keep the promise to yourself from then. Won't you stop chasing Sasuke?" Suddenly, Naruto's face turns serious as she stares back at the young woman.

"What the hell are you," Yamato practically growls until Kakashi stops him.

"Did something happen, Sakura-chan? Why are you asking me all of a sudden?" Naruto asks her.

"Nothing happened! If you want to know why I think you shouldn't go after Sasuke, I'll say it clearly," she paused and stared at the ground, until she walked closer to the pig tailed girl and hugged her.

 _'Sakura, you…'_ Kakashi thought as he stared at her.

"Sasuke-kun just keeps getting further away from you, but Naruto there are others that care about you around you. You've encouraged me, I finally realized who you really are, Naruto," she said as she hugged her. "The heroine who protected the village, beloved by everyone in the village, I'm just one of them. That mischievous little dummy I knew, little by little is becoming this great and important woman, and I've been watching from right next to her. But all Sasuke's done is commit crimes and break your heart, more and more, he's becoming a different person than he was, so distant. But Naruto, you're right here where all of us can comfort you. You know you make us feel safe, right now, from the bottom of our heart, I-'' Naruto interrupts her and yanks her away from her.

"Gimme a break, Sakura-chan, I told you that joke's not funny," she stares at the girl.

"Have you flipped? I just want you to stop chasing Sasuke. They say a woman's heart is changeable so I hope you can find someone better who will be safer for you," Sakura tells her.

"I hate a person who abandons loved ones," Naruto tells her.

"Are you saying that I'm telling you to abandon someone?" Sakura asks. "I'm the only one who knows what I'm thinking! If you think I don't care about you then just say so! If you're gonna make up excuses-"

"It's just weird! You came all this way just to tell me something like that!?" Naruto grits out.

"Something like that!?" She says as she stares back at her. "Something like that!? You think it's easy for a girl to show that she cares about her friend who is so reckless!? All this way!? Of course I'd come all this way! You've always been chasing after Sasuke and putting yourself in danger! Akatsuki is after you because you're the Kyuubi host! You should be worried for your own safety! I-I don't want you to go after Sasuke if it means putting yourself in danger like that! You have children to think of and you steadily even with kids go after Sasuke! Do you really think they deserve to have a father like him?! I've come here because I want you to come back to the village with me! That's all!" Sakura shouts at her.

"That just sounds like an excuse to me. I think I know you better than that," Naruto says as she narrows her eyes at the girl.

"You don't know anything! I don't care about Sasuke at all anymore now that he's a criminal! So you shouldn't as well and should forget about your promise to yourself!" Sakura says as she closes her eyes not believing how unruly Naruto could be.

"This isn't about that promise. I know why Sasuke is so obsessed with revenge," she says as she looks down. "He loved his family and his clan, I think it's because he loved them so much that he can't let it go."

"Then why did he join Akatsuki after he defeated Itachi?" Kiba asked her.

"That's not what happened. The truth is-" Naruto starts but Kakashi stops her.

"Naruto!" He scolds her since he doesn't believe the group should know about what they talked about with Tobi.

"It doesn't have anything to do with my promise to myself," Naruto tells her. "I want to help Sasuke."

"What do you want to do, Sakura? Should we tell her the truth?" Kiba whispers in Sakura's ear. Suddenly, Kiba is yelping out in pain as the woman stomps on his foot.

"Fine! I'm going home!" Sakura says as she spins around as Akamaru checks his partner to see if he's okay. "Let's go! Kiba! Lee! Sai!" Sakura says as she stomps off.

"Sakura…" Lee says quietly.

"Let's go," Kiba tells the rest and they left.

 _'Naruto, I'm sorry,'_ Sakura thought as she holds back her tears.


	31. Chapter 31

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any monetary means by writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Weee, I'm having fun over here. About ready to start a new series with my partner and can't wait to finish it. It will take me a while to get everything planned out but I will hope like hell it goes great.

Thanks to:

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved it.

 **Melyway:** Just wait and see.

 **CassieJones07:** Sorry if it confused you, just wanted to make sure that I changed a good bit of the dialogue since it wouldn't go with the story. The most difficult part of the chapter for me to fix was when Sakura declared her love for Naruto. I had to change it to where she demanded Naruto not to chase after Sasuke but I just think that it should be this way, making Sakura seem like she's trying to convince Naruto to give up on Sasuke because she is secretly going to go and kill him.

 **Chapter Thirty-One**

Naruto and the others stopped when they heard the footsteps in the snow, turning they saw a Bunshin of Sai's approach them. "It appears to be a Bunshin," Kakashi says as he stares at the clone.

"Sai, why did you-" Naruto stops when Sai interrupts her.

"When Sakura demanded you to not to chase after Sasuke anymore…I will now tell you what she could not," Sai tells her.

"You're kidding me?" Naruto says as she looks at the clone with question filled eyes.

"I figured something was up," Kakashi says.

"What is it, Sai?" Yamato asks the young man.

"Sakura didn't come out here to demand Naruto to give up on Sasuke. She was supposed to tell you the collective decision made by all your former academy classmates," Sai says.

"I knew something didn't feel right, so she was hiding something," Naruto says as she walks closer to the clone.

"With everything I've learned, I can understand why she acted the way she did," he says as he looks away from the blond.

"Sai, tell me," Naruto demands with narrowed eyes.

"The Leaf is going to dispose of Sasuke itself. Your ex-classmates are preparing to act as we speak," Sai says as he looks into her eyes that widen with shock, right along with the two older males.

"And Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan's okay with it too?!" Naruto asks as she grips the clones shoulder. "But Sakura-chan loves Sasuke! She knows that I love him more, and that I have kids with him! She wouldn't just-" Sai interrupts Naruto again.

"Sasuke is only helping spread his darkness across the world. Letting him live will only sow the seeds of another war. He's just another criminal now. Sasuke lost all hope of coming back when his group, Akatsuki, attacked our village. Your fellow Leaf Shinobi would never accept him now. Sakura's not stupid, either. She understands the position he's put us all in. That's why she came all the way out here, to tell you herself," Sai says as he makes his face into an emotionless mask again.

"Th-then why didn't she tell me the truth!" Naruto grits out as she scrunches her eyes shut to quell her tears.

"It's not an easy thing to say, especially since she knew how much it would hurt you," Kakashi tells her.

"But still-" Naruto says as she is interrupted again by Sai.

"Giving up on Sasuke and choosing you was Sakura's way of freeing you from your promise. She just couldn't bring herself to tell you the truth. When you refused to stop trying to save him, she was only thinking of you, and I think you understood that. Actually, Sakura forbade any of us from telling you the truth. She said she wanted to tell you in person, that it was her duty," Sai explains.

"But she must've known how Naruto would react. She never intended to tell her the truth at all, did she?" Yamato asks. "What's she going to do now?"

"I honestly have no idea, but if I had to guess, I'd say Sakura…" He stopped as Naruto looks at him again with confusion filled eyes.

"She plans to kill Sasuke herself," Kakashi tells her, making her eyes widen again.

"Does she, Sai?!" Yamato asks.

"Probably, yes. Sakura smiled at me and said she'd work with everyone, but _this_ time, I knew it was a façade," Sai tells her.

"No way, Sakura-chan would never…she loves Sasuke so much-" Once again Naruto was interrupted by Sai.

"It's _because_ she loves him, that she doesn't want him to sink any lower. It's _because_ she loves him that she wants to rescue him from the evil path he walks now. Even if the only way to do it is to kill him with her own two hands, I believe she's prepared to do it, because she loves him," as Sai continues on, Naruto's eyes widened and a pain is felt in her chest. "This also means she's willing to let you hate her forever, Naruto. I think it's her way of atoning for not making you take back the promise years ago. She's hated that you have had to rescue her so much throughout the years so she's trying to end all this herself."

"Sai, why are _you_ telling me all this?" Naruto asks him.

"I feel like I may have helped push Sakura into her current state of mind, too. So I wanted you to know, I knew I couldn't just let her go alone. Like I said, I'm part of team 7, too," Sai tells her and her eyes show a bit of tears as she grunts her agreement.

 _'Naruto's mind must be reeling from all this, what'm I gonna do,'_ Kakashi wonders as he stares at the girl that's became so much a part of his life. Suddenly, Naruto holds her head as the Kyuubi bashes at her shields, not agreeing to the plan to kill what she thought of as her mate. Kakashi suddenly turned his attention to a person who lands near twenty-five feet from them, drawing Naruto's attention when she hears the crunching snow.

"We came to bring you guys up to speed, so listen carefully, because _a lot_ went down at the Kage summit," Tamari tells them, and they brief the group about what happened.

"Wow, talk about a long meeting," Yamato says as he crosses his arms. "I knew Danzou couldn't be trusted."

"I've never been enthused about the idea of becoming Hokage, but even in this situation, I can't do anything until we get back to the Leaf village and get everyone else's opinions," Kakashi tells him.

"Madara declared war on the whole world, there's no time for politics," Tamari says.

"I have a feeling everyone will agree right away, we can continue the discussion once Kakashi-Senpai is Hokage," Yamato tells everyone. "They know that if they wait, Madara and Akatsuki will make the first move, and we'll be stuck reacting to them."

"Very true," Kakashi says and then huffs out and then looks at Naruto whose face is downfallen.

"Then there's Sasuke, sheesh, I can't believe he attacked the Kage summit," Yamato says.

"Naruto, just so we're clear, this is a war to protect the eight and nine-tails. In other words, a war to protect _you,_ and in doing so, the whole Shinobi world. I, as the Kazekage, am putting my life on the line for you," Gaara tells his friend, knowing she's hurting for all of this.

"Not only me, but my kids too, Gaara. You forget that they have a new Kyuubi inside of them as well," Naruto says as she starts looking even more depressed.

"That's a given, something I would do even if they weren't new bearers," Gaara says as he made everyone surprised at how much he cares about the twins. "And if Sasuke, a member of Akatsuki, stands against me, he'll be shown no mercy," he hated the defeated look on Naruto's face when he said that but knew that he wanted to protect this girl from anyone going after her even if it was Sasuke himself. He then remembers the conversation that he had with Sasuke when the summit was attacked. "Sasuke has topped looking for you, he seeks the darkness of his own free will," Gaara tells her knowing this might break her even more, case in point her eyes widen even more if it were possible. "Naruto, you once said to me, 'I'm the future Hokage!' Well, I became the Kazekage," as he says this, Naruto's eyes tear up and Gaara places his hand gently onto her shoulder. "If you're truly prepared to take up the mantle of a Kage, then as Sasuke's friend, you know what you have to do." Naruto's eyes flash up to stare into Gaara's teal eyes before she knocks his hand from her shoulder. She stared down, trying to keep the tears in her eyes hidden.

"We relayed the message, our job's done, let's go home, Gaara," Tamari says as she knew her little brother was upset when Naruto rejected his comforting hand. "We'll return to our village. The Sand will act as if you were Hokage, Hatake Kakashi. As the Leaf's ally, we'll ask you to ensure there's no confusion about what's happening."

"Roger that," the white haired male tells her.

"I consider you a friend," Gaara tells her as he had his back to her now. "As a child, 'friend' was simply a word. Nothing more, nothing less, but after I met you, I understood that the word's meaning was what counted. Think carefully about what that word means, and what you can really do for Sasuke," he tells her as he looks at her from over his shoulder. "Move out," as he tells this the others all speed off, not noticing the tears flowing down the blonds cheeks.

"Naruto-" Yamato tries to say something but Kakashi stops him with a pat to his chest.

"She needs to come up with her own answer," Kakashi tells him as the blond is lost in her own thoughts. Naruto stays in the same spot as the others continue to watch what she does.

"So, what's our next move? I think we should get back to the village and inform everyone as soon as possible, and there's Sakura to deal with," Yamato suggests.

"I'm still with her, I'll make sure she doesn't go anywhere near Sasuke, so you can rest assured she'll be okay," Sai tells them.

"Maybe, but I feel I should go personally and talk her out of this," Kakashi tells him and then closes his eye to ponder exactly what they should do. "Okay! Yamato, you and Naruto head back to the village. I'll hunt down Sakura and bring her back myself, she's nowhere near Sasuke's level, she's essentially marching to her own death. As for informing everyone about the summit, I'll send my Ninja hounds ahead. We need to get the word out ASAP."

"Roger that," Yamato affirms.

"Okay Sai, tell me where Sakura is, if you would," Kakashi says to the young man.

"Yes, sir," Sai says as Naruto's mind goes around and around. Suddenly, Naruto starts to panic when she realizes she might lose the man she loves and everyone around her is telling her that it might be better for her if he dies. She starts hyperventilating; every breath coming from her was like a gasp of hot air, a breath that could be her last. She collapses onto her knees, clutching her chest as it starts feeling like a huge weight is pushing in on her chest. The others around her are shocked when she falls flat on the snow, the breath coming out of her quicker and quicker.

"Snap out of it, Naruto!" Yamato shouts at the girl.

"She's hyperventilating! Take slow, deep breaths! Naruto!" Kakashi shouts as he quickly runs over to her.

~3~

Naruto moans as she starts to wake up, then when she is fully awake she shoots up into the bed. "You awake?" Yamato asks.

"What happened?" She asked.

"You fainted, you really know how to worry a guy," Yamato says.

"Where's Kakashi and Sai?" Naruto asks him as she grasps the blanket and stares at the man.

"You and I are going back to the village, Kakashi-Senpai's orders," he tells her and she looks disappointedly at the floor. She didn't say anything as she gets up and starts gathering her stuff, when Yamato sighs and winds wood around her. "Sorry, but Kakashi-Senpai's going to take care of Sakura. Got it!?"

"I know, I'll go back to the village after I rest a bit more," she says, keeping her back to him, she gets under the covers.

"Naruto, we'd better get going, you ready yet?" Yamato asks her as he is about to fall asleep.

"I don't feel like going out, just give me a little longer," her muffled voice says from under the covers where a clone is hiding with a Kunai drawn. _'Good, looks like he doesn't suspect anything yet!'_ The clone thought as she sweats with nerves.

~3~

Naruto grit her teeth as she sped through the forest in Sage mode, determined to get there before Sakura killed the man she loved. _'Kakashi-Sensei's Chakras, this way!'_ She thought as she changed her direction a smidgen.

~3~

Sasuke activated his Chidori, ready to take Karin's life. "Sasuke-kun!" Sakura shouted which made Sasuke's hand jerk a little and Karin to open just one of her eyes.

"Sakura," he grits out, staring at the pink haired woman.

 _'He's…like a different person. Is this really Sasuke?'_ Sakura wonders as she pants and stares back at him.

"What do you want with me?" He asks.

 _'Wh-who is she?'_ Karin wonders as she stares at her.

"Sasuke-kun! I will follow you! I'll leave Konoha!" She shouts at him and lands a good twenty-five feet away from him.

"Why would you want to join me? What are you trying to pull?" He asks her.

"I have no ulterior motive! Ever since you left the Leaf Village, I've regretted not going with you!" She admits to him.

 _'She's…an old friend. She must love him too, but…'_ Karin thought as she stares at them.

"I'll do whatever you want, I don't want to have any more regrets," Sakura tells him.

"Do you know what I want to do?" He asks.

"I don't care! I'll follow any order you give me-" she says but he interrupts her.

"To crush the Leaf! That is my goal," Sasuke says and stares back at her, noticing the small jerk she made at his declaration. "Are you really willing to betray the Leaf for me?"

"Yes, if that's what you want me to do," she says.

"Hmph, then prove it," he demands and turns and points down at Karin. "Kill her, and I'll accept your offer," him saying this made Sakura's eyes widen before she narrows her eyes a little and slips out a Kunai.

"Who is she?" She asks.

"A member of my organization, 'Hawk'. As you can see, she's useless to me now. Actually, you're a medical Ninja, aren't you Sakura? This works out perfectly, you can take her place," he says.

 _'How heartless, he really isn't the old Sasuke-kun anymore. He's completely changed,'_ she thought as she slowly started to move until she is standing besides Karin.

"Well? Can't you handle this, Sakura?" Sasuke asks staring at her.

 _'She doesn't matter, if I…if I,'_ she thought. _'If…I can stab Sasuke-kun right now, this will all end!'_

"Sasuke, don't do it," Karin weakly says as she saw him charge up his Chidori yet again, making Sakura realize that he's about to attack her. She spins around and saw the electricity covered hand coming straight at her. A splatter of blood hits the ground as Kakashi deflects his attack and draws blood from the young man.

 _'He meant to kill her,'_ Kakashi thought as he stared into Sasuke's eyes. "You've fallen so low, Sasuke," he says and avoids the kick the young man sends his way and throws a kick at Sasuke, sending him back a good distance.

"Ha! Just keep on coming!" Sasuke says with a smirk on his lips.

"You were trying to kill Sasuke on your own, weren't you Sakura?" He asks his former pupil. "There's no reason for you to shoulder this burden all by yourself. As the leader of team 7, I blame my own personal shortcomings for the team failing. Sakura, it was irresponsible of me to say what I did just to make you feel better. Maybe I was just trying to convince myself. I apologize; I've been a terrible Sensei to you all."

"No, you…" She stops and looks down at the crouching man.

"Sasuke, I hate having to repeat, but I'll say this one last time. Stop your obsession with revenge!" As soon as Kakashi says this the young man bursts out into manic laughter.

"Bring back Itachi, and my mother, and my father, and my clan! Bring them all back! Then I'll stop!" He shouts at him crazily.

"I don't want to kill you," Kakashi tells him.

"Oh, you think you can just take me out whenever you want, huh?! Don't act like you're still my teacher, that time's over! I want to kill you so badly I can taste it," Sasuke says as his eyes take on a little bit of a crazy sheen to it.

 _'Madara's corrupted him so much,'_ Kakashi thought and he groans inwardly. "Take this girl and get her stabilized to the point she can talk. There's still time, she should know a lot of information about our…enemy."

"And you, Sensei?" Sakura asks.

"Sakura, take that girl, and get out of here," he says as he never takes his eye off of Sasuke.

 _'Kakashi-Sensei,'_ she stared at him.

"I see this through with the same determination and resolve as you. That's my job, after all!" Kakashi tells her as he smiles at her, making her lip tremble. "Now get going, Sakura," he tells her and turns to look at the young man that he thought has so much potential if only he would give up the thought on avenging his clan. "No matter how far he fell, the Third always looked upon Orochimaru with affection," Kakashi tells him as he closes his right eye and reveals the Sharingan in his left. "I think I understand now what he went through those years ago."

"Well then, you and the Third will have plenty to talk about when you join him!" Sasuke snarkily replies.

 _'Good,'_ Kakashi thought as he looked at the bridge that was behind him to not see Sakura and the young woman.

"You listen to me, the Sharingan is the symbol of the Uchiha," Sasuke tells his ex-Sensei as he bows his head down while closing his eyes. "A lowlife outsider like you has no right to go around showing that eye off!" He shouts and starts rushing towards the older male, shocking him. Suddenly, Sasuke activates Susano'o that sends an arrow straight at the white haired man, making his eye widen. A huge blast of water shot everywhere and blocked Sasuke from seeing Kakashi, but soon he was able to see his shadow as well as the now Mangekyou Sharingan that he sported.

 _'That was too fast, my only option was to warp it away with the Mangekyou,'_ Kakashi thought as Sasuke wondered how he could use it not being an Uchiha. "So that's 'Susano'o,' I take it?"

"I can't believe you, a non-Uchiha, awakened the Mangekyou. So that's what saved you, that's your eyes ability," Sasuke says from inside of Susano'o. "I hope you're grateful to the Uchiha."

"Sasuke, your clan and your hatred can't be the only things left in your heart. Look deep inside yourself one last time," Kakashi tells him.

"Still reciting the same old pleas," Sasuke says as he smirks at the man.

"You know what's really there," Kakashi says staring at him through his only opened eye.

"They're all…laughing," Sasuke tells him quietly. "They're all laughing it up, at the cost of Itachi's life! Cackling in unison with no idea of the price he paid!" Sasuke shouts at him and Susano'o started to change again, surprising Kakashi. The huge armor was now revealing his full garb even with the Samurai mask that is from his own personal guardian. "All I hear in your laughter now is scorn and ridicule! But I'll change it; I'll turn your laughter into screams of anguish!"

 _'Sasuke!'_ Kakashi shouted out inside of his head. _'This is bad news!'_ Kakashi thought but suddenly the Susano'o started to wane in power and went to the form of a skeleton. Sasuke cried out as he covered his eyes as the Susano'o faded away completely.

"Fuck!" He shouts and uncovers his eyes and shock fills his face. _'My vision!'_ He starts to panic as he could barely see Kakashi now. He started to panic and rubbed his eyes madly while Kakashi stared at him, wondering what was going on. Sakura stared down at Sasuke from the bridge over hang, where she hid Karin safely.

 _'Sakura, why did you come back?! Stop!'_ Kakashi panics as he knew that even though Sasuke was having issues right now with his sight, he was still one of the dangerous people he knew.

 _'I won't let you carry the burden, Kakashi-Sensei!'_ Sakura thought as she steeled herself to complete her task. The Kunai she held to Sasuke's back shook as tears ran down her cheeks. _'I thought I could do this!'_ As quick as could be, Sasuke spins around to see a fuzzy vision of Sakura behind him.

"Sakura!" Kakashi shouts and starts to rush towards them as Sasuke grabs her by the shoulders. Kakashi stumbles, _'Shit! This had to happen the second after I used the Mangekyou!'_ He thought as he watched Sasuke put a hand around the young woman's throat before he snatches the Kunai from her hand and swings it around. "Don't do it, Sasuke!" Kakashi shouts at him as Sasuke slices the Kunai through the air, but before he could cut the woman, Naruto speeds in and quickly snatches her from him. _'Naruto!'_ Kakashi almost sighed in relief that the girl came.

"Naruto," Sakura says as she stares up at her friend. When the blond turns to stare at the love of her life, she knew already that something was wrong with him. She saw his eyes seemed to be unfocused and feared that he over used his eyes to the extent that they were beyond repair. Kakashi quickly rushed up to the young man who couldn't take his unfocused eyes from Naruto, showing a little bit of a weakness. Sasuke looked over his shoulder just in time to see the fist coming towards him and he puts his arms up to brace the punch, flying towards the bridge as he loses his grip on the Kunai and drops it. His feet lands on the bridge and he quickly pushes off from it, landing on the other side of Kakashi.

"You've got even better timing than me, Naruto. I never expected you to come, but I sure as hell am glad you did," Kakashi tells the girl.

"Th-thank you, Naruto," Sakura says as she stares up at the blond a she stands straight up.

"Sasuke, Sakura-chan is part of team 7, just like us," she says as she glares at him.

"In case you forgot, I'm ex-team 7," Sasuke reminded her.

"Was that proof enough, Naruto? Sasuke's not the same person anymore, so I doubt it anything would change that," the white haired man tells her as he stood beside her now.

"Sasuke," Naruto says as she stares him over.

"What?!" Sasuke grit out.

"Tobi told us the truth about Itachi! I don't know if I believe him or not, but either way, everything you've done…" She couldn't help but stare at him as she talks.

 _'The 'truth' about Itachi?'_ Sakura wonders what she's talking about.

"I understand why you did it!" She tells him, making everyone stare at her in shock.

"Naruto, I told you once before, you never had parents or siblings, you never had _anyone_ ," he glares at her. "So shut up, you outsider!" When he says this Sakura glares at him when he says this.

"Naruto's had faith in you, Sasuke-kun! No matter how badly the world slandered you, she still considered you her beloved! She still does…" She says as she looks at Naruto. "Although I'm still trying to figure out why, because of what you done she's went through hell for the past three years. You are wrong though, she's got family-"

"Sakura, shut up!" Naruto grits out at her, and Sasuke's eyes widened before he narrows them back a second later.

"Just now, just moments ago I finally got revenge for Itachi on one of his betrayers, one of the Leaf's top brass, his name was Danzou," Sasuke tells them.

 _'Wha…he killed Danzou?!'_ Kakashi's eyes widened.

"It was a high unlike anything I've ever felt. Like I was finally cleansing the Uchiha name o f the stigma that's dogged it for all these years," Sasuke says as he has a cocky grin on his face. "Like I was freeing the Uchiha from being associated with this corrupt Shinobi world. In a sense, it's what the Leaf has always wanted. After rejecting my clan for generations, I'm finally going to wipe it from your memories," after he says this, the three has a guilty look on their face, knowing that Sasuke couldn't do that. "By killing every last one of you, until the Leaf is crushed forever! Any link to the Uchiha will be severed and our name will be purified! That is how I'll revive my clan!"

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura says as she felt a pain inside of her chest since she knew he doesn't know about his own kids that are in the village now.

 _'A history of hatred, that's what turned Sasuke into what he is now,'_ Kakashi thought. _'Unfortunately for him, if he does go through with destroying everything in the Leaf, he will find out that his children were there as well, then what will his reaction be? Sakura doesn't fully understand how much Sasuke was a victim of that Era, but she'll learn from experience soon enough. That's why…'_ Naruto starts weaving signs but as soon as her clones pops up, Kakashi holds his arm out to stop her. "This is my job! Sakura, get out of here."

"But Kakashi-Sensei-" She tried to refuse but he interrupts her.

"I don't want you two to have to see this. Get out of here, _**now!**_ **"** He emphasized on his demand.

"I-" she starts to complain.

"The kind of poison Kunai you'd have learned to make from Shizune won't kill Sasuke. Orochimaru would've made sure he'd be immune to it. And besides, you've seen that you can't handle this," Kakashi says as Sasuke bows his face down, activating his Chidori as he walks towards them.

"Kakashi-Sensei, are you…are you going to kill Sasuke?" Naruto asks even though she's scared to hear the answer.

"Leave!" Kakashi tells them, but with a splashing sound, Naruto took things into her hands as one clone grabs a hold of Kakashi while another rushes past him with a Rasengan.

"You've left him vulnerable! I won't hesitate for a second!" Sasuke shouts at her as he starts running.

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi shouts at the girl.

"Naruto!" Sakura shouts at her, but nothing was stopping the girl. As they both rose their attacks Naruto's eyes narrow slightly as she stares into the dim eyes of Sasuke.

 _'It's funny, Sasuke, you and I could've easily been standing in each other's shoes right now,'_ she thought as she placed Sasuke as being the one using the Rasengan and her the Chidori, then their attacks hit and they both stared into each other's eyes. "You know why everyone hated me when I was a kid, because I have the nine-tails inside me," she says as she places her hand over her stomach. "I hated all of them, too. I wanted to get revenge on them. One misstep and I might've been thinking the same horrible things as you. I thought I'd never have a real bond with anyone, not until I met people like you and Iruka-sensei," she says as a smile works its way to her lips, one that Sasuke wished he could see clearly. "I knew you were always alone. I felt better knowing there was someone like me; I wanted to hang out with you. It just made me happy!" She tells him as she rubs the back of her neck. "But I couldn't, I was jealous of how skilled you were, so I turned you into a rival even though we were basically dating. I wanted to be just like you. I started with nothing, but I finally made a connection. We went on missions as team 7, and I kept chasing you, wanting to be just as strong, just as cool. I'm really glad I met you!" Naruto says as her smile turns into a bright grin.

"Naruto, it's too late. Nothing you can say now can change me! I'm going to kill you and every last person in your beloved village! It's time to make your choice! Kill me and become a hero, or die at my hand and be another one of my victims!" He tells her even though he is losing heart at wanting to really kill her with every second he stares into her heart, he noticed every word he said regretfully hurt her even more than he thought.

"I'm not gonna be your victim or go down in history as the person who killed you! Neither!" She tells him and the explosion threw the water up like a huge wave straight up in the sky.


	32. Chapter 32

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** I had a bit of an issue internet wise since we were having storms and pouring rain, so let's see how we do with this chapter.

Thanks to:

 **Melyway:** Be patient and you will see what happens.

 **Angel-the-hedge:** There will be more, I have been asked recently to write a story idea for one of my followers and I'm contemplating it really well. I think I will because I see the potential that the idea has and I believe everyone will love it.

 **Chapter Thirty-Two**

As the waves of Chakra sends the water in an explosive wave, the others had to shield them even though Sasuke and Naruto fly back from it themselves. Kakashi uses one of Naruto's clones to push himself up so that he could catch her real body. Sasuke heads for the canyon side but before he hit, Zetsu pops out of his back, cushioning his impact. "Gotcha!" The light side says as he catches him and they both land on top of the water.

"You…when did you…" Sasuke started but couldn't finish.

"I've been watching your back for quite a while now. Tobi ordered me to hang around and keep my presence hidden from you. We're in trouble no matter how you slice it," he tells the crouching young man that is panting as he stares over at the others. _'I'd better call him, I don't think we can get away alone.'_

"I told you to get out of here, Naruto!" Kakashi fusses at the girl.

"Now, I'm certain," she says as she holds a dead on pissed glare on her face.

"Certain…of what? What the hell are you talking about?!" Kakashi asked as he gave her a wary look since he knew there was more to her than others knew. Naruto though, wouldn't finish what she was going to say and Tobi appears out from thin air, shocking the whole group.

"I thought I told you come back and rest," Tobi scolds the younger male.

 _'Madara…'_ Kakashi glares at him.

"The nine-tails," he says and stares at the girl who looks like she wants him dead. "When we do fight them, it'll be in a more suitable place. For now we retreat."

"Let me handle them. We've gotta capture the nine-tails sometime, right?" Zetsu says and Sasuke's eyes widen as he barely saw the multiple forms that are coming up from the water all around him.

 _'First Madara, now Zetsu, I can't handle them both alone, what do I do here?'_ Kakashi wondered as he stared at them, silently.

"No Zetsu, I don't think you'll be able to capture Naruto. You're not really a front-line fighter; the nine-tails is too much. We'll leave that hunt to Sasuke, it should be entertaining. Plus, I'm worried about Kisame, go check up on him, and rejoin with your blacker half on the way," Tobi tells him.

"Aye aye, sir," Zetsu says.

"Naruto," Kakashi says as he watches her walk past him.

"I know, but there's something I need to say to Sasuke," she says.

"Come on, Sasuke," Tobi tells him.

"Wait," he tells him as he keeps his eyes on Naruto and he stands.

"Sasuke, do you remember what you told me back in the Valley of the End? About top-class Ninjas?" She asks and he remembers it all. "One direct clash later, I understand a lot more," she says as she continues to keep walking forward. "We've become top-class Ninja's, Sasuke, both of us. So tell me, did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel?" She asks as she crosses her arms over her abundant chest. "Did you see what'll happen? If we fight again, we're both gonna die." When she says this, everyone was shocked and they stared at both of them. "Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack the Leaf. So keep your hatred, let it fester and hit me with it full force. I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's my job, no one else's! I'll bear the burden of your hatred, and we'll die together!"

"What?! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Why do you care about me so much?!" Sasuke shouts at her.

"Because I love you," she says with a smile on her face. "Sasuke, we'll never be able to understand one another through words alone. I knew that from the moment I met you. The only way you and I can communicate properly is with our fist! Remember what I said, we're both top-class Ninja's now! I haven't given up yet! Still, I'm done ranting at you. Hell, I can barely string a sentence together, I shouldn't be lecturing anyone! Heheheh…If we really do take this all the way to the end, and we both die, we won't be Uchiha, Jinchuuriki's or anything. There'll be no more burdens to bear. We'll come to understand one another in the next world!"

 _'Naruto…you're…'_ Sakura thought as tears formed in her eyes.

"I will never change! I don't want us to understand one another and I'm not gonna die, you will," Sasuke says as he glares back at the young woman.

"Enough Naruto, I'll handle Sasuke. You still have a dream, the dream of becoming Hokage. Sasuke may have fallen, but don't let him drag you down too-" Kakashi tells her but she interrupts him.

"How could I call myself Hokage if I can't even save one person I love? The only person Sasuke's fighting is me!" She tells him seriously.

"Have it your way. I'll kill you first," he tells her as he wished with everything in him that his eyes could clear up once more so that he could see her vibrant blue eyes.

"Heh, you still haven't accepted me as an equal!" She tells him as she stared at his handsome face.

 _'Naruto's here because she's made up her mind, her resolve now is nothing compared to mine! I'm supposed to be a Ninja, but all I've ever done is lean on her and cry. I was supposed to change that, I came here; I thought I was ready, but I can't do anything. I can't say anything; the only thing that remains for me is to believe in them!'_ Sakura thought as she wiped her eyes dry.

"Okay, Sasuke is all yours, Naruto," Kakashi tells her as he wished it was different. _'However,'_ he thought as his attention turned to stare at them. "Sakura, take care of my body, okay?" When he says this, Sakura's face held confusion. _'I'm taking out Madara before this goes any further!'_

"Don't bother, Kakashi. Techniques like that have no effect on me," Tobi says as he held his hand up. "Let's go, Sasuke," he says and pats the young man on his shoulder.

"Madara, you and I need to talk," Sasuke says as he never took his eyes from the curvy form of Naruto's, even with him being absorbed into Tobi's dimension.

"I'm ready when you are, Sasuke," Naruto says when he was gone completely. Sakura walked slowly closer to Naruto.

 _'Thank you, Naruto, for everything. Now, I still believe there can be a happy ending for everyone on team 7,'_ Sakura thought as she felt the relief that the conflict was over. Naruto quickly wobbled on her feet and keeled over in a feint as her clone disappears. "Wh-whoa!"

"Wha-Naruto!" Kakashi shouts as the girl falls completely submerged into the river.

~3~

"Time to go," Kakashi says as he watched Naruto lean over, complaining that she felt worse than when she had morning sickness, making Karin's eyes widen a little.

"Ugh, I still feel like I'm dying," she says holding her stomach as Sakura tries to make her feel better.

"We're taking you to the Leaf Village, don't try anything," Kakashi tells Karin as he hefts her onto his back.

"Why would I bother with that now?" She mutters weakly.

"Y-you gonna be okay?" Sakura asks as she places a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

 _'So she's Uzumaki Naruto,'_ Karin thought as she stared at her new found cousin. _'She said morning sickness…Oh, god, she had Sasuke's child, Suigetsu was right about her and Sasuke having this thing.'_ She thought as they made it to the area where the rest of the team was knocked out.

"Man, you were going crazy, and these bums are sleeping like logs," Naruto says as Sakura chuckles guiltily.

"They were trying to help you, Sakura. I expect you to apologize profusely as soon as they're awake," Kakashi scolded her.

"Right," she says and watches as Naruto struggles to climb the slight incline.

"Man," she says as she walks besides where Lee was laying sprawled out.

"This is my fault, Naruto. Don't be too hard with them-" She stops when she saw that Naruto just slumps over and lies down on the ground. "Now you're passing out?!"

"I feel sick again," she says.

"Well, Sakura, right? You were the one who poisoned that Kunai," Karin tells her as Kakashi chuckles and they saw Naruto falling asleep.

~3~

Kiba has this irritated look on his face when they all recovered. "Hmph! I do everything you ask, I even find Sasuke, and what do I get?"

"Let it go, Kiba," Kakashi tells the young man as everyone walks along the pathway.

"This ain't something where you try to hog the glory," Kiba says. "Then Sai goes and blabs everything to Naruto, and to top it all off Sasuke gets away!"

"Kiba, seriously, quit whining!" Naruto shouts at him.

"You've been whining since this whole Sasuke thing started, Naruto! I bet you even whine to your kids!" Kiba shouts and nobody notices that Karin's eyes widen.

"Ah, that's true. Despite being slow and simple-minded, you were really over thinking things," Sai says as he chuckles.

"Well, you look like you're having a fun time with all this!" She spins around and shouts at Sai. "Don't you!?"

"Thank you," he says.

"That wasn't a compliment!" She shouts.

"I feel like we've finally got the old Naruto-chan back!" Lee says while chuckling.

"That just means she hasn't grown up. Once a dumbass, always a dumbass! I'm shocked she's able to be a mother!" Kiba grumbles.

"Screw you, Kiba!" Naruto practically growls at him.

 _'She's…like the exact opposite of Sasuke, even her Chakra,'_ Karin thought as she watched her cousin's back. _'I bet that Sasuke doesn't even know about his kids, huh? Makes me laugh that even though he won't be in a relationship with me that he's still with an Uzumaki. Her aura is warm and bright.'_ Her eyes widen when she saw the deep dark red aura from inside of Naruto. _'W-what?! There's something other, deep down inside! It's…evil! It's exactly like-'_ her eyes noticed that the aura fills the girl's inner Chakra chambers and is somehow gentled with every bit of calmness that Naruto shows. _'H-how can it be evil and not evil at the same time? D-don't tell me…no…they didn't…she's a Jinchuuriki…Why would they put a demon inside of her? What about her kids?'_ Karin's thoughts went a hundred miles a minute since it's been in the tails of the clan's history of sealers. Three ANBU Black Ops approached the group.

"Tell us what's going on, Sai," the one in the middle demands when they face them.

"Black Ops," Naruto says as she gauges their auras.

"ANBU from root," Kakashi affirms.

"There's no mistaking it, Senpai. The seal Danzou-sama placed on all of us could have only disappeared for one reason," Sai says.

"Then he has passed away?" The man asks.

"Yes! Therefore, I think Root needs to have a long talk with our new Hokage, Hatake Kakashi," Sai says as he waves his hand over to the white haired male who is still carrying Karin.

~3~

"You're gonna fight Sasuke alone? And you think all of us are just gonna stand here and let you?" Tenten shouts at her friend after she slams her fist down on the wood's side.

"Tenten's right, Naruto. We can't afford to let you have your way on this one. This is a problem for the whole village," Shikamaru fusses at her.

"So this is what you meant when you said you'd 'explain when we got back'? We're all prepared to kill Sasuke, man!" Kiba shouts down at her.

"I'm not trying to be selfish," she tells him as she looks up into his eyes.

"Naruto, you're not trying to convince us to let you handle this so you can turn around and protect Sasuke, are you?" Shikamaru asks as he has the twins in mind and knows that Naruto doesn't want her kids to lose a parent.

"No, trust me, I won't defend him," Naruto tells him as she turns to stare at him.

"If Sasuke was so weakened from the Kage Summit and fighting Danzou, why didn't you just finish him right then?" Neji asks.

"Madara was there too! You're oversimplifying things, besides-" Sakura shouted before Kiba interrupts her.

"He couldn't have just slipped away! Naruto, you're as strong as they come. You're already a legend for kicking the crap out of Pain! Sasuke wouldn't have stood-" Naruto interrupts Kiba.

"You're wrong, I can't defeat Sasuke at his current level, I just knew…" she stops as she stares down at the ground Sasuke's image was in her mind. _'Even what he was thinking,'_ she thought.

"What do you mean?" Chouji asks.

"I mean that I can't let any of you face Sasuke. I'm the only one who can fight him," she tells them as she looks around at each one of them.

"What in the world happened? You have to tell us," Neji says as he worries about her.

"I will, when the time is right," she says.

 _'Naruto, what are you hiding?'_ Sakura wonders.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm starving. I'll be at Ichiraku!" She says and walks off knowing that Iruka is at Ichiraku with the twins.

~3~

Sakura ran straight to Ichiraku's only to see Naruto and the twins devouring their dinner. When she told them their faces flared in happiness and relief. "For real?! Granny Tsunade's all better?!"

"Yup!" Sakura grins as she pants out from running so fast to get there.

"Hell yeah!" Naruto pumps her arm in glee.

"Tsunade-sama's okay, that's wonderful news! Alright, to celebrate everyone eats on the house!" Teuchi tells everyone.

"Whoa, really?" Naruto and Shina say at the same time while Futarou groans and slumps down in his seat.

"I'll whip something up for you too Sakura, have a seat!" He tells her.

"That's okay; I've still got so many people to tell!" She says as she starts leaving. "See you later, Naruto!"

"Well, now that I'm in a better mood I feel a lot hungrier! I'm gonna eat like a horse today!" Naruto gleefully says as Shina nods while jumping in her seat.

"Futarou-chan, I'll make you some Onigiri so you don't have to eat ramen," Teuchi tells the young boy. When he finished with their food he plopped it down in front of them and the three drooled. "Eat up!" They all grin.

"It's…" Naruto started to say then she disappears, "chow time!" She cheers and doesn't pay attention to her not being at Ichiraku's anymore. She picks up her chopsticks and starts slurping down the worms quickly until she realizes they weren't noodles.

"Lookit 'er go!" Fukasaku says with a grin.

"Ya finally got a taste for my worm soup, eh!" Granny Toad gleefully says but was shocked when Naruto runs off and pukes.

"Why am I here?" Naruto whines as she lies down on the floor, wishing the taste would leave her mouth.

"I reverse summoned ya. The great elder's gonna tell ya yer future," Fukasaku tells her. "Come with me."

"And don't throw up!" Granny toad tells her. The two approached the huge toad.

"Yo yo! How've ya been, super-size sage?" Naruto asks as she waves at him.

"Here she is," Fukasaku stops and stares up at the toad.

"Today, I have called for you, er…" The toad stared at the girl, trying to think who she is. "Who are you again?"

"Uzumaki Naruto! Come on super-size, at least memorize my name!" She whines.

 _'Can't we have one meeting without this schtick?'_ Fukasaku thought, exasperated

"Ooooh, yes, yes! Naruto! Naruto, I have seen your future. You will meet…an octopus," he tells her.

"Octopus?" She asks as she squints up at him.

"The vision is cloudy, but I am sure they are octopus tentacles. Then you…you will battle a young man with great power in his eyes, and-" Naruto interrupts him.

"Yeah, I know," she says.

"Whadda ya mean, 'I know'?!" Fukasaku asks her.

"You…you have seen it?" The sage asks her.

"Yes," she tells him.

"And you know what he is?! The young man with such power in his eyes?" He asks her.

"Yes, I'm prepared for everything that's gonna happen," she tells them and they stare at her.

"Gamatora, I have foreseen the transfer to Naruto as well. Give her the key to the Fourth's seal," he says as he smiles down at the scroll frog.

"If you say so, elder!" The frog then lengthens his body to unroll the scroll that is attached to his body.

"What's that?" Naruto asks.

"The key to opening and closing the Fourth Hokage's seal! Wit this, y'could actually release the nine-tails completely if ya wanted to," Gamatora says as he stares into the familiar blue eyes. "Put yer hands on that square. This's also your ticket to perfecting 'that' Jutsu," he told her and she looks down to rub a hand over her belly.

"What's the holdup? Put yer hand on the transfer seal!" Fukasaku tells her.

"Nervous, eh Naruto? I don't blame ya," Gamatora says as he knew the girl is uncertain about everything.

"What's that?" Fukasaku asks.

"Fukasaku-sama, the fox's power works like this: There's two parts to it, the 'Chakra' and the 'mind'. To control the nine-tail's power, ya gotta pull out its Chakra and turn it inta yer own, but it ain't as easy as it sounds. When ya draw out the fox's Chakra, it will comes along fer the ride. The nine-tails' mind is just a malevolent mass of hate tied to a hugely powerful Chakra. No matter how strong y'are, its own hate'll latch onta the hatred in yer own heart and try to take over. Basically, the only way ta truly have control over its power. Is ta have a strong enough will with no hatred and completely filter the 'mind' outta the 'Chakra'. The Fourth designed her seal so a tiny bit 'a Chakra would leak out and naturally combine with Naruto's own Chakra, but with this here key ye could completely undo the four element seal and tap inta the nine-tails' full Chakra!" Gamatora explains.

"And with it the full force 'a the fox's will!" Fukasaku adds.

"The second the fox's mind overcame Naruto's, the nine-tailed demon fox would be reborn!" Gamatora warns.

"Ye tried opening the seal with the key once, yeah?" Fukasaku asks.

"The four element seal's been growin' weaker with time. So durin' Naruto's trainin Jiraiya used the key to suppress the fox. When Naruto started transformin' outta nowhere but the seal was loose, wasn't no tellin' when he'd transform again. So Jiraiya used the key to open up the seal just a crack, hopin' to teach Naruto ta repel the nine-tails' mind and take full control over its Chakra. That…didn't work out," Gamatora tells the two.

"What happened after that?" Fukasaku asks.

"Don't really know, ta be honest," he says.

"It's true that when I fought Orochimaru I went to the nine-tails and willingly let it take control. When he started talking about Sasuke I just snapped, I wanted to kill Orochimaru right where he stood but I also hurt Sakura-chan. That's when Captain Yamato told me to stop relying on the nine-tails and start fighting with my own power. Obviously I was fine when he kept it suppressed during training, but you can't help having hatred in your heart during battle. So I decided I'd never go to the fox for help again, I didn't think I had the strength to keep its mind from taking over. Then when I saw Pain attack Hinata, I was so mad, so full of rage; I let the nine-tails take over without even thinking about it. Then the Fourth reinforced the seal and I felt safe again, but I could lose control again. Still, I'll need the nine-tails' Chakra to fight Sasuke. I can't escape the fact that I'm the nine-tail's Jinchuuriki. It's time for me to stop running," she says with a smile on her lips as she remembers what her father told her. She infused her fingertips with Chakra and touched them to the square box on the scroll. _'I know I took a long time, but I'm ready to learn how to control this thing, dad!'_

"The contract is signed! I'm all yours!" Gamatora tells her.

"Time ta go find us an octopus!" Fukasaku says.


	33. Chapter 33

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto nor to I gain any money from writing their lives, even though I enjoy it.

 **A/N:** I do know I'm writing these as fast as I can, but I still feel like I'm not going fast enough. I hope you guys aren't getting too confused and are enjoying the way it's panning out because I kind of have a hidden agenda with this story.

Thanks to:

 **Lara5170:** We've already had a debate on this one already and I have answered this questions many times. They accept her being who she is even if she is both sex so just be patient and you will see how the story progresses.

 **Melyway:** Yup, we will hopefully get through them without so many chapters.

 **Chapter Thirty-Three**

"Hey! Open wider!" Gamatora yells at the girl, as he tries to go down her throat.

 _'Why through the mouth? This slimy feeling is making me gag…'_ Naruto thought as she tried to not throw up in the process.

"You gonna let me store myself in you or not!?" Gamatora asks as he continues to wiggle to get inside her mouth until Fukasaku kicks the frog down Naruto's throat, making her swallow and tears flow out of her eyes. She falls to her knees trying not to throw up and dry heaves.

"Storage complete! I'll be returnin' ya to Konoha now!" Fukasaku says as he smiles up at the kneeling girl.

"I just have to look for the octopus, right? So where exactly is it? Can't you give me a hint?" She asks the old sage.

"I cannot tell you precisely, but it's a solitary island which people do not approach. A paradise for all manner of creatures, if you were to ask me, I would say it's like a pleasant resort," he tells the girl as she wipes the drool from her chin, as Naruto imagines a huge tropical place. "The octopus should offer to cooperate with you there, at any rate, you should get some guidance."

"Got it!" She salutes him.

"Well then, back ya go," Fukasaku says as he starts weaving signs. She appears back at Ichiraku's between two Ninja's and a pair of twins sitting at the end pouting as they patiently wait for their mother to come back.

"Mommy!" They shout and dove right on her lap.

"Ah! I'm back," Naruto says and smiles while cuddling the two.

"Where'd you go!? Just when I was wondering where you'd disappeared to all of a sudden, you reappear just as suddenly!" Teuchi asks as he smiles at the two who wouldn't release their mother.

"Just a little business," she smiles up at him.

"Oh! It's Naruto!" The Ninja on her left says around a mouthful of noodles.

"I didn't think I'd meet you in a place like this!" The one on her right says. "Ah, that's right! Give me your autograph! Could you make one out to my kid? He's a fan of yours."

"Autograph?" She asks.

"The heroine of Konoha, the girl who made miracles happen, Uzumaki-Namekaze Naruto! Can I have one too?" The one on the left begs with his hands folded around the chopsticks as Naruto looks back at him, confused at what to do. "What? No good?"

"No, well…it's just that I'm not used to stuff like this, I haven't really signed any or anything," she tells him as she rubs the back of her head.

 _'Lately they're praising her as the miracle girl, but wasn't too long ago that it was just the opposite, I guess it's only natural,'_ Teuchi thought as he smiled at them. "Before asking my patron for autographs, would you mind letting her eat her ramen?"

"Ah, yeah," the man says and rearranges himself on the stool.

"I finally get to eat!" Naruto shouts and the twins giggle as Shina picks up some noodles with the chopsticks and holds them to her mother's mouth.

~3~

"I see, an octopus," Yamato says as he stares at the girl, the twins were in the cabin taking a nap since the island is supposed to be the safest place for them by what the Hokage thought.

"Being sent on a secret mission to a faraway island paradise is the guidance! It's just like the prophecy said!" She tells him.

 _'Looks like Naruto doesn't suspect anything yet,'_ Yamato thought as he stared at her.

"Prepare to make landfall," the captain of the boat says.

"Ohh, the island's in sight," a Ninja says.

"For real!" Naruto says as she shielded her eyes from the sun. All over the island, you could see huge beast corpse's and claw marks, even bones from humans. "P-paradise?" Naruto says as she shivers from the feel of the place.

"It's like Konoha's 'forest of Death', though I guess ours is a little extreme," the Cloud Ninja says as he winks at her. "It's perfectly safe; the animals are docile so long as you don't provoke them. There's just one thing…"

"What is it?" Yamato asks.

"What part of this looks like paradise!? Big ol' sage, you idiot!" Naruto shouts up into the sky.

"On this shore there's…" before the man could complete, slimy arms with their suckers revealed showed up above the cabin on the boat.

"O-! Octopus arms!" Naruto shouts in glee and points at them. "Hey, octopus! Show me the way~~~~!"

"Naruto…that's…a squid!" Yamato shouts as the rest of the squid's body is revealed.

"Eh?" Naruto thought as she finally saw the body.

"It's here! Th-this is the thing I was just about to tell you to keep an eye out for, and now its here!" The Cloud Ninja shouts.

"What!?" The other Ninja's panicked.

"1…2…3…4…5…6…" Naruto says as she counts the legs.

"Even if it doesn't have enough legs, you can tell just by looking at it! Naruto, let's take it out!" Yamato says.

"But we should make sure, if it's a squid it'll have 10 legs…if it's an octopus it'll have 8," Naruto says as a tentacle wraps around her body, yanking her above them all.

"Naruto!" Yamato shouts out.

"Yo squid you bettah get back to yo place, before my boot leaves a skid mark on yo face!" A huge bull headed octopus shouts at the beast as he punches it.

"What-!? Another creature appeared—while making a pun!" Yamato shouts.

"4…5…6…7…8…it's an octopus!" She shouts down at the others and jumps down to land on the deck. "This time it's definitely an octopus!"

"It's…an octopus…?" Yamato almost squeaks out.

"Killer Bee-sama!" The cloud Ninja shouts grinning up at the man.

"Killer Bee? Then…this…" Yamato stutters out as his eyes open wide.

"You're late, you tools and fools!" Bee raps out as his body goes back to normal minus the arms that he sits on.

"It turned into a man?" The other Ninja asks.

"Hey! Yo, octopus man thanks!" Naruto shouts as she raises her arms up.

"Hey yo?" Bee asks and takes out his rhyme book. "Will this work? I dunno about this…No, I think it's out, whee. 'Cause I'm an outlaw who don't like kids," Bee raps as he crosses out 'hey yo' in his book.

"What's up with this guy? All muscles and sunglasses and bad jokes," Naruto wonders as she stares at him. _'This is the octopus who's supposed to lead me?'_

"It's not a bad joke. That's his original style, combining Enka singing with a rap beat. He calls it Enka rap!" The Cloud Ninja tells her.

"Welcome, everyone! I've been waiting for you. My name is Motoi and I'm in charge here. Follow me and I'll show you where you'll be staying," a Ninja says in the spiked shaped rocks.

"Ooh, are we finally there?" A voice groans, followed by two giggles.

"Looks like you're a little seasick," a Leaf Ninja tells Gai who is leaning on him.

"Ooh!" He moans as the twins run up to hug Naruto's legs.

"Are you ok, Guy-sensei?" Naruto asks as she places hands on her kids' heads.

"I had no idea you were the seasick type," Yamato says having sympathy for the man. As they walked up the pathway a huge ape started roaring at him. Naruto and the twins screech right before Guy hurls his stomach contents in the grass.

"Calm down, King-chan! They're with me," Bee tells him as he holds his hand up to stop the ape.

"It's a gorilla! A gorilla!" Naruto shouts.

"Is this…really…a gorilla?" Yamato asks.

"Bee-san is the King of the beasts here and has tamed them all. So as long as you're with him, this place is perfectly safe. In addition, Kumogakure's best Ninja's have created a barrier around the island. If anyone suspicious approaches, it will alert us immediately," Motoi tells them.

 _'So that's why this place was chosen to confine them,'_ Yamato thought

"Who the heck is this octopus man anyway?" Naruto wonders.

"The bravest of all Kumogakure's heroes," Motoi answers her. "It's not just the wild animals he's tamed; he also has complete control of the Biju within him. He's a host just like you, he is the Hachibi."

"The host…of the Hachibi…and, he can control it? That old man can?" Naruto says as her eyes widened.

"That's Killer Bee-san," Motoi says as they watched Bee fist bump the ape. "This island is where he trained to control the Hachibi."

~3~

Naruto knocks on the door to Bee's room and waited patiently for him to open the door. "Oh, it's the 'hey yo' kid, what do you want? You want my autograph?"

"I want you to train me!" She demands of him.

"Train you?" He asks.

"I'm the Kyuubi's host, but I can't control it," she says as she looks up at his face. "So please teach me how to control a Biju!"

"No way, my brother Raikage sent me here on vacation. Why would I use my precious vacation time for that, you stupid idiot!?" He tells her.

"But you're a host like me! We should help each other out!" She shouts at him.

"I don't like your attitude, better try again, dudette. Whee!" He raps and Naruto grins.

"You've got sunglasses and a tan like it's hot, but you're pretty cool and I like that a lot! Whee!" She raps right back, smiling back at him.

"That's not a bad beat you've got going there, kid!" He tells her and she bows.

 _'Yes! He fell for it!'_ She thought and Bee holds his fist out for her to fist bump him.

"You've gotta start with a greeting! Bump fists with me, and give me a beat!" He tells her.

"Your shades are pretty shady—" she grins and points at him before gasping, realizing she insulted him. _'C-crap! Wait, I know what to do!'_ She created signs and activated her Harem no Jutsu. "And you know how to please a laaaaaady!3" She raps as her clones rub their naked bodies against him. _'How's that!? No man can resist this Jutsu!'_ Bee pushed them off of him and slams his door closed and she released the Jutsu. "No fair!" She stomps over to another door and pounds on it. _'What's with him and his stupid rhymes anyway!? He must be the wrong octopus!'_

"What is it!?" Motoi asks as he opens his door.

"Tell me how sunglasses guy learned to control the Hachibi! I came here to train, didn't I?" Naruto asks.

"Oh, so this is about Bee's training," he says.

"He won't tell me! So I'm asking you!" She whines.

"Me?" He asks.

"I don't care if he is Kumogakure's Hero! He's stubborn and unfair and I don't like his stupid rhymes!" Naruto said as she crossed her arms and closed her eyes. "We're both hosts, so he should be a little nicer to me! Besides-"

"What do you know about Bee-san!?" Motoi says as he grabs her by the front of her shirt. "I dare you say another word against him, you little brat! If you're a host, too, then I'm sure you can imagine what sort of life he's led!"

"Yeah, I can! So that old man should be able to imagine what I've been through, too! So why won't he help me!? I…" She stops and stares at the ground as the man wonder what's going through her head.

"He knows what's going on. So he must have a reason," he tells her as he lets her go.

"Huh?" Naruto stared at him.

"Did you exchange greetings?" He asks.

"Greetings?" She wondered and remembered the fist bump he offered. "I bumped fists with him," she said as she held up her fist.

"Ok, Naruto, was it? Come with me!" He grins at her and points a fist towards himself. "I'll show you where Bee-san trained," as he says this Naruto grins.

"I'd better come, too. As a Mokuton user, I'm sort of in charge of Naruto," Yamato tells him as he peeks around the corner.

"Oho, so you're the Mokuton user, alright," he says and they all go outside to travel to a waterfall.

"Is this it?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah, this place is called the waterfall of truth," Motoi tells them as they all stared at it.

"The waterfall of truth? And this is where he learned to control the Biju?" Yamato asked.

"No," Motoi tells them.

"Huh?" Naruto turned to stare at the man.

"This is just the first step. Sit here and close your eyes, Naruto. If you do that, you'll be able to see the truth," Motoi says as he walks across on top of the water to reach the small mound like island.

"Ok," she says and hops across to sit cross legged, meditating.

"Why didn't you sign autographs at Ichiraku?" A shadow appears in the waterfall.

"What!?" Naruto's eyes widened as she asked, staring at the form as it walks through the waterfall.

"They all…suddenly changed their tune and tried to suck up to you. What a bunch of pests," Evil Naruto says with a smirk on her lips as she is fully revealed. "And yet, up 'til now, everyone in the village has treated us like outcasts."

 _'She looks just like me,'_ Naruto thought as her eyes stared at the person with furrowed his eyes. "Who are you!?"

"Can't you tell by lookin'? I'm you," she says as she takes her first step on top of the water.

"Huh? I don't remember making a Kagebunshin!" She says as she stays there in the same position.

"I'm the real you, the true self that lies at the bottom of your heart," the evil form says.

"What the hell're you talking about!? I don't know you! Enough nonsense!" She shouts as she points at her.

"They called this the Falls of Truth or something, right?" The evil one says as she stares up around them. "To think it could bring me to the surface like this, pretty good place! Basically, I'm the truth inside you, I'm the real you."

"The real me?" Naruto asks.

"Yeah, I'm the hatred you hold dear, I'm your darkness!" She tells the prone woman. "If I've made one mistake, it's letting myself recklessly catch the eye of that Kyuubi beast."

"You…" she stops herself. _'All this time, this girl and Kyuubi.'_

"That's right, I'm the real you, you can't get rid of me, imposter!" She tells her.

"So that's how it is," Naruto says as she stands up, ready for the first blow and parry's it, blocking another with her other arm. "You're the imposter!" They both land on opposite sides of the mound, panting as they were out of breath. "Shit!" Naruto grits out as she looks at the evil being. _'She really is just as strong as me. If we keep fighting, this'll go on forever.'_

"You can't take me down, it's impossible!" Evil Naruto says as she looks over her shoulder.

"Then I'll fight with numbers!" She shouts as she creates tons of clones, just as the evil one creates her owns. "What the hell is up with this!? Don't tell me even the number of Kagebunshins is the same!?"

"You catch on quick!" The evil one sneers.

"What's going on?" Yamato asks as they both stare at the meditating woman.

"By sitting in front of the waterfall and concentrating, it's possible to enter the inner world of the mind and then this waterfall becomes a mirror which reflects your true self. It's a mysterious place. Right now, Naruto's fighting another version of herself," as soon as Motoi finishes explaining, Naruto's eyes flashed open wide and she starts panting out.

"Naruto, you okay!? What happened!?" Yamato asks as he quickly approaches the young woman.

"Another girl just like me appeared! She was…" She stopped as she looked at him over her shoulder.

"Was what?" Yamato prodded.

"The darkness inside me," she huffs out and the other two looked at her with worried glances. "I was under pressure; we were an even match, with exactly the same power. She had all my skills, techniques, tactics, everything was the same. The match just wouldn't end!"

"If you don't beat her, you won't be able to use the tailed beast's power," Motoi tells her and she looks at him with confused eyes.

"How am I supposed to win against a girl like that!?" She asks him.

"I don't know, your guess is as good as mine," he tells her as he was lost to the reasons himself.

"That octopus guy trained here too, didn't he!? If I just ask him…" She stopped as her face went from cheery to sour. "No, judging from his attitude, I don't think he'll teach me."

"Probably not," Motoi tells her and she pouts.

 _'I wonder if the octopus guy had darkness in him too,'_ she wondered as she stared into space, she gets up. "Motoi-san, can you tell me the whole story behind the octopus guy? Like stuff about how he was growing up or his character, maybe I can find some kind of hint there! I might figure out how octo-guy and I are different!"

"I'm not fond of prattling on about other people, but…Naruto, since you're a Jinchuuriki, just like Bee-san, and since stabilizing the Kyuubi is crucial to world peace, alright?" He tells her.

"Thanks, man!" She says as she gets excited.

"I said to you earlier…that since you're a Jinchuuriki as well, you should be able to guess the sort of life that Bee-san had," he tells her and thinks back to his childhood. "And it's just as you might guess, great power gave birth to unease and ill will. All the villagers hated and avoided Bee-san, but Bee-san didn't get depressed or complain. He was always cheerful and determined, and gave off an aura of calm. More than that, perhaps because he was ashamed to be a Jinchuuriki, he was always striving to attract and appeal to the people. The way I see it, it seemed like his way of expressing his pride. As to the question of why a Jinchuuriki had so much pride, that's probably because of his big brother, the Raikage. In order to ensure that the Jinchuuriki wouldn't turn traitor it's been common since long ago for them to be chosen from among the spouses and siblings of the five Kages, or others who are close blood relatives. The strength of the Jinchuuriki served to protect the Kage, the head of the village, as well as serving as a display of the Kage's power. Bee-san probably wanted to become a great Jinchuuriki for Raikage-sama's sake. It seems he even completed his training at these Falls of Truth in the blink of an eye. I respect Bee-san from the bottom of my heart. I see him as a hero of Kumogakure."

"To think a Jinchuuriki could be so beloved, Bee-san's a great guy, isn't he? And you, to be able to empathize so well with a Jinchuuriki, it's no wonder they made you manager of this place," Yamato says with a smile on his face.

"That's it! Motoi-san, you can ask the octopus guy in my place! About the trick to this training!" Naruto suggests with her energetic tone back.

"I…can't do that," he tells her.

"Why not!?" She gasps out.

"I'm not qualified to do that," he says and the two stared at him, confused. "I tried to kill Bee-san."

"What!?" She gasps out as her jaw drops. "Eh? Didn't you just say you respected the octopus guy!?"

"Seems there must be some special circumstances," Yamato says.

"So what the heck are they!?" Naruto demands.

"So this is my confessional. I suppose I can tell you, a Jinchuuriki like Bee-san, about that incident," Motoi says.

"That incident?" She asks.

"It was 30 years ago; nine of our Jinchuuriki were able to gain full control of the eight-tails. Back then, the beast would go wild constantly, reducing the village to rubble. Each time, the Third Raikage and an elite cadre of fighters would beat the eight-tails back. Somehow they would stop the beast's rampage and lock it within the traditional sealing pot. Those battles cost many good men their lives, but even with the risks, we needed the eight-tails to avoid being overpowered by the other villages. So we continued experimenting, trying to find a Jinchuuriki," Motoi ends up sitting besides the pool of water. "One of those many victims was my father."

"So Bee-san killed your father, and you-" Yamato asked as him and Naruto showed their shock before Motoi interrupts them.

"No, no," he tells them. "Bee-san was my friend. We were only five years old when my father died. The Jinchuuriki who killed my father died when the eight-tails was pulled out of his body and resealed. He was the previous Jinchuuriki. Bee-san was chosen as the next Jinchuuriki almost immediately."

"Then why did you try to kill him?" Yamato asked him.

"I believed that no one could ever control the eight-tails, that trying to would only kill more and more people. My hatred for the eight-tails grew out of control. Despite being a child, I convinced myself I had to avenge my father. I grew to hate him and his constant, ignorant smile. The object of my revenge began to change from the eight-tails itself to Bee-san. I thought if I could kill him, the beast would die too. I tried, and failed, to stab him in the back, and when I failed, I ran away scared out of my mind. I hid my face, but I'm convinced Bee-san knew it was me. After that, I couldn't bring myself to talk to him again," Motoi tells them.

"Then what changed your opinion? Why do you respect him so much now?" Yamato asks.

"My hatred didn't simply disappear, I continued to watch him, keeping him under close surveillance, but I wasn't the only one. The other villagers had no sympathy for Bee-san, they detested him. It didn't matter that the government chose him to be a Jinchuuriki, and that it did so to protect the village. They shunned him. He lived a very difficult life, and his suffering was far worse than mine," he says and Naruto closes her eyes, knowing that feeling.

"Why are you…" Yamato starts then stops himself.

"Maybe I'm just saying this to Naruto because she's a Jinchuuriki, instead of telling Bee-san himself. Someday I really do need to tell him, I must make amends," Motoi says.

 _'Bastard, he's just using me,'_ Naruto's eyes flashed open wide and she starts walking off, upset.

"Where're you going, Naruto?" Yamato asks.

"I need to be alone for a while," she grits out through clenched teeth.

~3~

Naruto sat on one of the stone spikes as she stared out into the ocean. Her memories filled with all the taunts and threats and how everyone threatened her as she grew up. Then finally it turned to the memory of the villagers that were waiting on her to arrive back to their destroyed village only to congratulate her. Memories of Gaara before when they were young teens but turned into the age they were when Naruto came to save him. "Now they all have faith in octo-dude. The village trusted Gaara to protect them so much they made him Kazekage," she talks to herself. _'And I've got Iruka-sensei and everyone else from my class! Plus, after years of ostracizing us…'_ she thought as a huge grin pops up on her face that didn't last long as it disappeared almost instantly. _'I've never consciously felt like that, but some part of me, deep inside.'_ She looked out at the blue waters again. "I'm still not sure if they really trust me," she said out loud before she heard a yell of panic.

"Oww," Yamato says as he was on his hands and knees.

"Shit!" Motoi says as the squid now has him in his grasp.

"Motoi-san," Naruto shouts out.

"Naruto, formation C!" Yamato shouts at her but she just stares up at the captured male. "What's wrong with you!"

"What is with you multi legged beasts always picking on someone!?" She shouts at the beast.

"Shouting at it won't help!" Yamato yells at her.

"Wha?! Then what am I supposed to do? That thing is huge…" she whines.

"He got worried and went to look for you when that squid attacked him!" Yamato yells as Motoi cries out from being squeezed from the squid tightening her grips. "We'll talk later, let's go Naruto!"

"Right!" She says as they both start weaving signs quickly. She makes a clone and they form a Rasengan. "Hang on Motoi-san, I'm coming to help!"

"Big 8-T is back in the sea! Here to get rid of this punkass squid!" Bee appears in his beast form and punches the squid.

"Octo-dude!" Naruto shouts as she grins up at him.

"Bee!" Motoi says as he stares back at his friend after they rescued him from the squid. "Bee-san, you knew, didn't you. You knew I was the one who tried to kill you! And you still-" He stops what he was saying as he stared down at the ground.

"Say what? You did?" Bee says as he puts his fist up.

"Bee, you…" Motoi stutters out as tears form in his eyes and Naruto grins when she saw the two fists bump.

"Thanks for trying to help Motoi, nine-tails!" Bee tells her.

"No prob!" She says.

"Naruto has a strangely magnetic personality, she's a lot like Bee-san in that way," Motoi tells Yamato.

"Yup! She certainly does!" Yamato says as he stares at the young woman.

"First I thought you were a true foo', but now I see you're coo' too!" Bee raps.

"Your rhymes are sweet, octo-dude! I'm glad I met you!" Naruto raps right back.

"Get the beat right, yo!" Bee tells her as he holds up his fist for her, making her stop and her eyes widen.

 _'I'm glad she and Bee-san have similar personalities, but please don't let her start rapping,'_ Yamato thought with a smile as he watches the girl.

 _'Motoi-san has faith in Octo-dude, but Octo-dude trust Motoi-san, too,'_ Naruto thought with a grin as she touched her fist to his. "Yo yo yo! I said I'm Naruto, Dattebayo!" She starts giggling. _'Alright, I got it!'_

"Good lord, dattebayo," he says as he turns away then turns back with a smile on his lips. "Cut that outtebayo!" He tells her shocking her. "Get on back to the Falls of Truth—you'll pull it off like a wisdom tooth!"

~3~

They all stood behind the young woman as she meditates on the mound. She was suddenly sucked into the mind where the evil version of herself showed up and walked out of the waterfall. "Back for more, huh? Nothing's gonna change. You can't beat me."

"I know, there's no way I'll ever overpower you, you've got all the same moves as me," she tells her evil part with a smirk on her lips, erasing the others own smirk.

"You can't chase me out of your mind, either. I know you better than anyone ever will," the evil one says.

"Then you should already know, right?" Naruto asks as she starts getting up.

"What? You're not making sense!" The evil one says.

"What I just thought of a minute ago," she says as she holds a small smirk on her lips, her eyes glaring.

"No, I don't know what you mean!" Evil one says.

"Don't play dumb with me. Whatever, this place reflects what's really inside your heart, right? If I just focus on the image I can show you in person!" Naruto says as she shrugs at the mirror image. She concentrates her Chakra and words started to appear over her head of her signature. "This is my autograph!" She grins.

"You…" The evil one says as she grits her teeth, staring at her smiling face.

"The autograph I couldn't bring myself to write at Ichiraku," she says as her face gets serious.

"Who gives a shit about your stupid autograph!? Who cares! You've been blinded because they're making a big deal about you now! They are the ones who deceived us for years! It was their rules who turned us into a pariah! Remember! It hurt, right? It was torture, right? I'm the only one who really understands! You can't trust them!" She screams at the top of her lungs, pain rushing through her as though she was living through it again and again.

"Well, the villagers _are_ important, but first there's someone else I need to learn to believe in," Naruto tells her and the evil forms jaw drops. "I need to have faith in _myself_. Have faith that I _am_ the woman they all believe in. The evil one sounded like she was panting out as she slowly moves to her knees.

"Why…they…they hurt us so much," she whimpers out.

"It was Octo-dude. He has complete faith in himself, he never sulks or whines. He's proud of who he is!" Naruto tells her with a smile on her face.

"So what, am I just an obstacle to you?! Then what…what does that make me?!" The evil one shouts as she lifts her face, showing the tears rushing down her cheeks.

"I've only grown as strong as I have because of your help. You might even be the reason I'm here now," Naruto tells her calmly.

"Then why?! What am I supposed to do now?!" The evil one asks as she rushes towards Naruto.

"What do you think?" Naruto asks as she holds her arms wide. "You be like me, because you _are_ me," she hugs her to herself. "Thank you, for everything. It's gonna be all right." The evil form calms down and the tears start drying as her eyes turn from black to the normal blue and her body dissolves into dust. Naruto suddenly stands up on the mound, shocking two of the men. "Heh…" She chuckles as she looks at them over her shoulder.

"You did it, didn't you!" Yamato says.

"It's too early to celebrate, mothafucka!" Bee says and starts to walk over the water towards her, drawing a surprised look from Naruto. "Now ya gotta learn how to control the nine-tails! Starting today, I'm your teacher, getting up in your head, follow my lead or you'll wind up dead!" He raps.

"Yeah!" She shouts as she cheers.

"Come on, Naruto!" Bee says as he jumps the rest of the way across.

"Uhhh, is it ok if I come along, too?" Yamato asks.

"Fo' shizzle!" Bee says.

"Motoi-san?" Yamato asks the man.

"I have to report back to the Hidden Cloud," he tells him.

"Well, thanks then," he tells him.

"It's not going to be easy," the man smiles.

"There's something behind the waterfall?" Naruto asks as she watches him go through it then she does it as well. "Ho-holy crap!" Naruto says as she saw the hidden temple inside the cave.

"This is where you're gonna fight the nine-tailed fox!" Bee tells her as he points at the temple.


	34. Chapter 34

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** I wonder what my brain would come up with in this chapter. Just thinking of what comes ahead is making my brain spin.

Thanks to:

 **Melyway:** Yeah, but there's going to be a little bit of a change on how that was done. I hope it turns out right.

 **Chapter Thirty-Four**

"Fight the nine-tails?" Naruto asks as she looks over at Bee.

"S'right, mothafucka!" He tells her.

"Wow, neat!" Yamato says as he walks through the waterfall.

"C'mon!" Bee says and starts walking more across the water.

"These statues must be ancient, from an archaeological standpoint they must be priceless, even if they need to be fixed," Yamato says.

"Nope, these statues were _made_ headless, because," Bee says.

"So _how_ I'm supposed to fight the nine-tails here, exactly? Actually, how do I even face her?" Naruto asks.

" _Fight_ the _nine-tails?!_ You can't seriously be considering something so reckless!" Yamato scolds.

"You can't control a beast if you don't get a little crazy, foo'! This's an old sacred place where our Jinchuuriki go through a purification ceremony," Bee says as he shakes his head at the man. "This bad boy'll letcha talk to the fox, just stroll on into the entry box!"

"So this is it…" Naruto says as she stares in awe at the carvings.

"Only the chosen can enter though, 'natch. Into the mouth, up to the head, only the pure-hearted can go in. No darkness in your heart-that was the catch," Bee explains as he stared at the carved lion face in the wall.

"Could you _please_ explain things without rhymes? It would _really_ make things easier," Yamato says as he scratches the side of his face.

"No darkness, that's why I had to train at the falls," Naruto said as she thought about it.

"Even a little bit of evil and the door snaps shut _tight_ while your head's still inside and bam – _goodnight!_ Those headless statues are the previous Jinchuuriki's, aight?" Bee tells them and Naruto rubs her neck as she gulps.

"This is too risky. Try it with a clone first, Naruto," Yamato suggests to the young woman.

"This is a sacred temple, mothafucka! The previous generations watch over this place, your bitch-ass tricks ain't gonna fool no one!" Bee shouts at him.

"But –" Yamato starts and Naruto interrupts.

"I came here to learn to control the nine-tails, Captain Yamato! This is too important, I can't chicken out!" Naruto says as her eyebrows furrow majorly, showing her seriousness. _'I have to believe in myself!'_ Naruto thought as she sticks her head into the statues mouth. Suddenly, she starts screaming and Yamato freaks out.

"Naruto!" He yells and quickly grabs her by her hips to pull her out. Her head was gone, almost freezing the man in place. "Oh my god, no! Naruto!"

"Gotcha! There was just a switch inside," she grins at her captain. "I knew you'd fall for that."

"Man I did that _exact same_ joke! And I was only playin', those statues are just broke!" Bee chuckles while pointing at Yamato.

"This is supposed to be a sacred temple, 'mother fucker'!" Yamato shouts at the both of them, trying to get himself to calm down when the door slides open.

"So, is this…" Naruto starts as she leans over to look into the house.

"Go inside, sit down, and close your eyes and focus. Just like at the falls, and you'll be face to face with your tailed beast," Bee tells her.

"Well, I learned how to go into my own mind and talk to the fox a while ago," Naruto tells him as she remembers when Kyuubi started talking to her.

"Any Jinchuuriki can do _that_ …This place has a slightly different meaning, okay?" Bee tells her. "Listen to my Rhyme, cuz it's teachin' time! Okay Naruto, what kinda seal they got holding your beast in?" He tells her as they all walked into the room.

"Huh?" She stares at the man, confused.

"A four-element seal. Four-element, that's high-quality work! Stronger than my iron-armor seal. You got the key?" He asks.

"Yeah!" She answers.

"Then we really are going to take off the seal, what do you we do if she can't control the nine-tails, and it's completely revived?" Yamato asks.

"Then we lock it inside here! That's what this place was built for. The fox stays in jail till we get another Jinchuuriki. Don't tell me you're gonna bail just 'cuz things are getting' sticky?" He asks as he points at them.

"We –" Yamato starts.

"No way! I have had some good conversations with her and have found that she's not as bad as everyone thinks," she tells her captain.

"Word! I'mma go close the door and teach you what to do next!" Bee says and pushes a button from the inside which slides the door shut. They then both sit on the floor with Yamato watching on in dread as they held their fists touching each other.

 _'Naruto, I think you're the woman. So listen to me and I'll tell you the plan. First, face the nine-tails in your soul and remove the seal!'_ Bee tells her.

"Yo, you're looking as cranky as ever," Naruto starts and the fox snarls at her.

"Naruto, you…" Kyuubi stops as she stares at her wielder.

"What?" The pig-tailed blond asks.

"Where's the _real_ you? I can't sense her!" Kyuubi asks.

 _'You conquered your inner hate, but it's too soon to relax. The nine-tails is a mass of hatred taken to the max!'_ Bee says in her head.

"You're _looking_ at the real me!" Naruto tells her and jumps up to rip off the seal on the lock, then gripped her jacket in her hand.

"What are you trying to do?" Kyuubi asks as she stares at the girl with worried eyes.

"Mouf's full, waf an wearn!" Naruto says as she grips her chainmail shirt in between her teeth. She activates the key that goes from her elbow to the tip of her fingers, where Chakra forms on them. She places her fingers on the seal and unlocks the door. The lock clicks and slowly the spiral opens slowly, making both the Biju and the Jinchuuriki stiffen up as if knowing what will happen. Kyuubi swings her clawed paw towards the gates and clashes them open, knocking the girl further away from it with a groan.

 _'When the nine-tails break free!'_ Bee tells her inside her head as Naruto flies back from the impact. _'Trap its Chakra with your own and rip it out!'_ She stares up at the Kyuubi and let her soul exit her body. _'You can't just trap one Chakra with another; if we tried we'd be dopes. If we just pull the fox's chakra out of its body, we'll have her on the ropes!'_ Kyuubi's eyes widen when she turns to see the tentacles that start to wrap around her. _'Grab the fox and latch your own Chakra onto hers, from there it's a tug-of-war. Keep pulling till the rope makes it all the way to your side!'_ The tentacles yank out the Chakra and yanked it from her, but Kyuubi got pissed at his interference and sliced at his tentacles. "Tsk," he grits his teeth. _'I came to lend a hand, but it's too bad. Inside your soul I can't use my full powers, so sad!'_

"Damn, she's strong," Naruto says with a smirk on her lips as she stares back at her fox companion.

 _'Oh, and while you're trying to pull out_ _ **her**_ _Chakra she's trying to pull yours_ _ **in.**_ _If she pulls out everything we got and we go down to zero Chakra…well, you don't need me to tell ya that, right?'_ Bee warns.

"Ah ha, finally trying to take control of my powers, are you?" The Kyuubi purrs as she is happy the girl is finally showing her grit to become even stronger.

"Bring it on!" Naruto shouts at her.

"You even joined forces with the eight-tails, and you call yourself a Jinchuuriki! You should be ashamed!" Kyuubi tells her as she willingly started the fight, knowing that this would end up happening just to get a better bond with her kit. She moved her tails around and started to gather both Biju and normal Chakra's.

 _'I know this's risky, but if you can yank out her Chakra it's yours for_ life _,'_ Bee tells her and she grits her teeth. _'Separate the nine-tail's Chakra from her mind! Greatest treasure you'll ever find!'_ As he says this, Kyuubi puts all of the Chakra into a huge ball and devours it. _'Don't let her hatred consume you!'_

 **"I don't hate her, you octopus bastard!"** Kyuubi growls and she opens her mouth to let smoke come from it.

 _'Use that strong willpower to block and you won't be entwined!'_ Bee says as Naruto starts jumping away to avoid the blast that Kyuubi shoots out towards her. "Aww _hell_ man," Bee says as he uses his Biju to catch the attack.

 _'Nice one, Octo-dude!_ ' She thought to him and stares right in the Kyuubi's eyes as she starts growling. Naruto gathers her chakra as the fist from the eight-tails reforms into the head, his cheeks puffed up from taking the blast.

"I smothered the blast, but that was my last! You're on your won now, Naruto," Bee tells her.

 _'Thanks a million!'_ Tells him through her mind and closes her eyes to gather Sage Chakra. _'I knew she'd be on all fours for that one!'_ She thought as she jumped up as the Eight-tails deflates inside of her inner Chakra caverns. She creates a huge Rasengan and throws it at the Kyuubi. _**'Sage art: Gargantuan Rasengan!'**_ Kyuubi catches the huge Rasengan with her tail and roars out as she made the ball disintegrate to go everywhere. Naruto's eyes widen as the Kyuubi swipes at her with her tails. She has to keep avoiding the Kyuubi's tails as a paw swipes at her, making her have to quickly avoid it. _'She's so fast!'_ Naruto thought as the paw smashes her into the ground. Naruto had three clones hiding behind a tentacle that was lying on the ground and they were peeking around it.

 **"You** _ **really**_ **think you can win?"** She taunts her kit.

"Wouldn't have taken off the seal if I didn't. Plus," she says as she winces from under the paw. "Gotcha!" Naruto shouts as she grabs one of the Kyuubi's tails and the one she has trapped under a paw disappears as Naruto grunts out and starts to throw the Kyuubi, who crashes down and stares in shock as there were two Naruto's now above her, wielding a Rasen Shuriken. "Try and take this over!" She shouts as the huge Shuriken flies towards the huge beast. The beast screeched out as she was attacked on the cellular level. "Now," Naruto grips the Chakra from the tail and starts to yank, while the Kyuubi is grunting and groaning. "C'mon, damnit!" Naruto grunts as she is having a hard time yanking the Chakra from the Kyuubi, as the Kyuubi tries to get up but ends up landing on her elbow, staring at the girl in shock. _'She's weak! This is my chance!'_ She thought as the Kyuubi glares at her and starts feeding some of her Chakra through the bit of Chakra that Naruto was yanking out. It starts showing the Cloak onto Naruto's spirit and filling her with hate. _'I hate them! It hurts! I wanna kill 'em all! Help us! Why?! If only you weren't here! Don't bother…I want revenge! I hate everything about you! Her…only her!'_ Naruto starts to panic as she hears all of these voices swarming around inside of her head. "Wh-what the hell is this?"

 _'Naruto! Don't lose, mothafucka!'_ Bee thought to her as she grunts out when the Sage Chakra leaves her.

 **"You don't have what it** _ **takes**_ **to control me! You're nothing more than a tiny fragment of my hatred!"** Kyuubi grits out to her.

 _'That's her, go away, no one will ever accept you. Go away! Leave us!'_ All of the voices shout inside of her. _'Shut up!'_ She shouts out.

"The nine-tail's hatred is stronger than I thought! This spells trouble; she needs help on the double!" Bee shouts.

"I'll hold it back! Damn it!" Yamato shouts as he brings up the sealing Jutsu onto the palm of his hand.

 _'Disappear forever, no, you belong here,'_ the voices say inside her head. Suddenly, the image before her changed and a redheaded woman was sitting in front of her.

"Naruto," she says with a smile on her face.

"What the heck is someone like you doing here? And how do you know my name?" Naruto says as she freaks out, seeing the woman.

"Of course, you wouldn't know," she tells her. "Why don't you guess, Naruto?" She asks and stares at her daughter, whose eyes furrow as she stares at her and her mother starts chuckling.

"No," Naruto says as her eyes widen.

"Figured it out?" She asks.

"You're Kyuubi?" She points her finger at her and the woman bursts out laughing. "That's no woman's laugh! You'll have to do more than transform to trick me, you damn f –" She interrupts Naruto by chopping the girl over her head.

"Like no!" She shouts at her, making Naruto wince and rub her head.

"Wait, what?" She stares at the woman with furrowed brows.

"Got a little worked up there," she laughs and rubs the back of her head. "I've been kinda hot-tempered since the day I was born and talking like that when I get excited. I try not to say it, but sometimes my mouth bypasses my intentions. What about you? I always hoped you wouldn't end up saying nonsense words when you get worked up, like me." Naruto's brows rose in shock as she couldn't help but to stare at the woman.

"You're…" she stops and gulps.

"Minato never told you anything, did he? Good lord," she says and Naruto's lip trembled. "Yes, I'm your –" Naruto interrupts her and basically glomps her, her arms shaking the whole time.

"I've…" Naruto says as tears build up in her eyes. "It's like…I've always wanted to meet you…" She says as her eye changes back to its normal blue when the tears rush down her cheeks.

"'It's like…' You really are my daughter," she says as she smiles and hugs her.

"The transformation stopped?" Yamato asks as her body is half level 2 cloaks and half level 4 cloak.

"You do that, Yamato?" Bee asks.

"Nothing, it stopped on its own," he tells him as he stared. _'What happened?'_

"There's so many things I wanna talk to you about, mom!" Naruto shouts with a huge grin on her face.

"Yeah, we'll have a long talk, but let's keep the fox out of it!" Kushina says as she looks into the inner Chakra chambers. The Kyuubi's Chakra is still trying to suck Naruto in, making her grunt. Her body leans back and spiked ends on chains start coming from inside of her, shooting out and wrapping around the Kyuubi's body, pinning her to the ground.

 **"This Chakra…Kushina!"** Kyuubi grits out even though she doesn't hate her previous host all that much. Both of them decided to sit and they sat side by side.

"Minato also used my Chakra to form the seal to help you take control of the nine-tail's power someday. We wanted to aid you however we could," she tells her daughter who chuckles. "Are you listening?"

"Just think how glad I am to see my mom's face and even though it's familiar to me, I'm glad to see it," Naruto says as she grins up into the whiteness.

"What do you mean?! Heh, well Naruto, I'm sorry you ended up with my face, but at least you got your father's hair," Kushina chuckles.

"Why? I guess mostly because of the fact that I share your similarities but it also means that my daughter is the spitting image of you as well. She's even gotten your hair," Naruto turns to look at her and her mom's eyes were wide and jaw dropped.

"I'm like a grandmother?!" She squeaks and Naruto grins at the wording. She chuckles as she stares at her daughter. "So, how is my granddaughter like me?"

"I have twins, the girl is the youngest and she's like you in every way from what I can tell," Naruto smiles and stares down as she twirls her hair around her hand. "My son is the oldest and he's a mixture of me and his father. He's got mostly black hair with blond all throughout it and has already shown signs to having his Sharingan activating."

"So an Uchiha son, huh? That must be tough, so tell me…" She hesitates and stares at her daughter who looks so vulnerable right now. "Where is their father?" She knew something had to happen there.

"W-well…" Naruto stutters as tears fill her eyes and she bites her lip in aggravation, hating that she's being like this around her mother.

"Hey, look at me," she says as she lifts the girls chin and watched as tears fall down her cheeks. "Tell me."

"H-he suffered, mom. His clan was killed, or should I say massacred? Anyway, the one who killed them all was his brother, Itachi," she sniffles as her mother wipes the tears from her cheeks.

"Oh, my…don't tell me, his names Sasuke?" She covers her mouth and stares into the watery eyes as her daughter nods.

"Yeah…apparently, Danzo wanted them out of the picture so much he made Itachi kill all of the Uchiha's and it filled Sasuke with so much hate that he couldn't handle not letting it go. He abandoned the Leaf Village and has already started his revenge by killing Danzo…" She clenches her eyes shut. "Before that though, I tried to make him change his mind and he took advantage of me when I used the time Jutsu to talk to him…and that's when the twins were conceived."

"My dear, sweet girl, I know your life is hard but I have a feeling that things will change, very soon," she says as she rubs the younger woman's shoulder.

"There's one thing I've always wanted to ask you, mom," Naruto asks as she wipes her eyes and tries to change the subject. "I know how I fell in love with Sasuke, but how did you and dad fall in love?"

"Th-that's like…totally embarrassing!" She giggles and rubs the back of her head as her cheeks blush a little bit.

"You said 'like' again! You're all worked up!" Naruto grins at her as she pokes her mom's arm.

"I like…I needed to change the subject!" She shouts at her as she panics.

"Hahaha, you said it again!" Naruto giggles as her mom stares at her lovingly.

"I moved to the Leaf Village when I was very young, your father and I were just kids. The first time I saw your father, Minato, I thought he looked like a flaky girly-boy," she says as she remembers back.

"Whoa, really?" Naruto asks as she stares at her mother's eyes.

"Since I was the new kid, I wanted to make an impression on the first day of Academy lessons. So when they asked me what my dream for the future was, I said, 'I'm gonna be the first female Hokage!' and…yeah," she smiles.

"Rock on, mom! You definitely take after me!" Naruto grins.

"Ummm, other way around, daughter," she says.

"Well?" Naruto asks.

"So, they didn't like how the new kids was suddenly talking about becoming Hokage, and the boys started making fun of me all the time-they called me 'tomato'!" She says as she pouts.

"'Tomato?' I don't get it," Naruto asks.

"I had a very round face and with my fiery hair…well, I looked like one! Even I had to admit it, and it infuriated me!" She said.

"Aah! So dad was the one who stood up to the bullies, and you –" Naruto was interrupted by her mom.

"Nope!" She says with a fake smile and her fist clenched. "I went after those boys who made fun of me, and in the end the tomato squashed them! After seeing all that wild red hair whipping around while I beat them half to death, I got a new nickname. 'The bloody habanero'!"

 _'I think I get why Kiba and Shikamaru are so scared of their moms now,'_ Naruto thought as she gulps while staring at her mom. "So what did dad say when they asked him his goal for the future?"

"Minato? He said, 'I want everyone in the village to acknowledge me and become a great Hokage'," she tells her.

"When I heard that I thought there was no way such a goofy flake would ever become Hokage," she smiles as she remembered it all.

"Whaaat?! But dad totally looked super strong!" Naruto gushes out.

"Yes, but what did I know? I was young, so I looked down my nose at Minato until a certain incident," she grins.

"Incident?" Naruto asks as her eyes widen.

"I've always hated my red hair, until one day, thanks to Minato, I came to like it," she says as she strokes a lock of her hair.

"What happened?" she asks her.

"Did you know that the Uzumaki's Chakra are always special? Well, the Hidden Cloud wanted it badly enough to kidnap me. As they were marching me away, I pulled my hair out one strand at a time to mark the path they were taking. I was very careful not to be seen. The Leaf sent out pursuit squads immediately, but none of them managed to find me. As we got closer to the border I started giving up hope," she paused as Naruto laughs out. "Yes, Minato was the only one who picked up my trail. He was the only one who noticed the trail of red strands. As he held me, he said he noticed my beautiful hair right away. Suddenly, he looked like the most magnificent Shinobi ever, like a man who would make all my dreams come true, and most importantly, he changed me. My bright red hair had led me to my soul mate. It became my own personal 'red thread of fate.' From that day, I liked my hair, and more importantly, I loved Minato," she tells her daughter and instantly Naruto's face transforms into the largest grin possible. "There's a special little something I like to tell those that compliment me on my hair, yourself included, Naruto."

"Hmm?" Naruto hums to her mom.

"I love you," she tells her and Naruto's cheeks blushed. "So tell me, what _is_ the product of 'the Leaf's yellow flash' and 'the Bloody Habanero'?" She asks and Naruto giggles as she stands up and shouts.

"The Leaf's Orange Hokage!" A huge grin pops up on her face. The Kyuubi was pinned down, staring back at the kit as she wondered how the girl could access her mother's abilities. The words of love echo throughout Naruto's head, making her grunt. _'I feel so…at peace. I feel so happy!'_ Naruto opened her eyes and straightened, a roar shooting out of her mouth.

 _ **'Damn you, Kushina!'**_ Kyuubi thought as the red Chakra was no longer controlling Naruto's as she strengthened every bit of it with those words from her mother. Bee chuckles as they both watch the Kyuubi cloak disintegrate from around Naruto.

"Wh-what happened?" Yamato asks.

"We aight, let's just sit tight!" Bee tells the man.

"My Chakra can't hold the nine-tails down for long; this is your chance to take her out!" Kushina cheers her daughter on.

"Right!" She tells her mother and starts weaving signs to create an army of Shadow Clones.

 **"Damn kit, I never thought she would fight me this hard. Guess I should give her some props,"** Kyuubi says as she grabs the chains.

"Let's do it!" The army of Naruto's shouts as they all start rushing towards the Kyuubi who ended up breaking the chains.

"She sure is strong, huh?" Kushina says to her daughter. Naruto starts having her clones create multiple Rasengan's.

"Open wide!" She screams and the Kyuubi roars at her. **"Rasengan Barrage!"** She continued volleying all of her hits towards the Kyuubi's face.

 **"Don't be conceited!"** Kyuubi growls out at her.

 _'I've still got one left!'_ Kushina thought out as she strengthened her chains around the Kyuubi's leg. Kyuubi's shocked when she ends up falling down as her leg was suddenly yanked out from underneath her.

"Gotcha!" The whole bunch shouts as they continue their barrage.

"She's…in sage mode!" Yamato shouts out as they both watch her eyelids turn red. Kyuubi was suddenly facing down huge balls of Giant Rasengan's.

 **"Sage Art: Nonstop Gargantuan Rasengan Barrage!"** Naruto hits every single one of her mark, causing the Kyuubi to roar out even louder than before, throwing her back and making the Chakra explode all around her while Kyuubi's Chakra is starting to be snatched from her. She shifts her glare over at the young woman who is now brandishing a Rasen Shuriken. "One more time!" Naruto shouts as she nails the Kyuubi directly with the attack.

 _ **'How on Earth is she so powerful?!'**_ Kyuubi wonders as she stares over the huge ball of the Chakra that is attacking every single bit of her molecules. She was helpless when every clone started yanking the Chakra completely.

"Pull!" She shouts at them, "Get outta my face!" Naruto shouts as she punches the huge ball of Chakra further away, completely severing the pureness of Kyuubi's Chakra that still held the fox form. All of the clones disappeared as Kyuubi crashes down in a huge splash of water; she turns her glare onto Naruto as she looks like an emaciated version of herself. Even though she as glaring, she knew deeply that she would always be proud of her kit as she watched her Chakra being absorbed inside of the young woman. Naruto's form is now completely different, as she glows from the complete power of the Nine-tails. She starts looking at herself in awe.

 **"Naruto…don't…don't make me angry, Narutooooooo!"** Kyuubi shouts as she tries to make another beast bomb, but it was lacking in the pure Chakra which made her start to get a bit skinnier.

"You've still got all that power, man, you're really something else," Naruto says as she smiles at the fox and closes her seal, making archway's contain the Nine-tails as her beast bomb starts crumbling around her.

 _ **'This is…the Sage of the six paths'!'**_ Kyuubi thought as she watched her old jail cell doors close with a loud 'clang'. **"I won't forget this, Naruto. You don't know how proud I am of you."** She starts shouting but by the end she is whispering as the fight has drained everything out of her.

 _'Nine-tails, I'm sorry, but I won't hurt you. Wait, just wait,'_ Naruto thought hard to the fox who smiles in the dark, hearing her thoughts.

"You did it, Naruto!" Kushina says as she smiles proudly at her daughter.

"Yeah," she says as she looks at her mom. "So mom, are you –"

"And now I can follow after Minato," she tells her as she interrupts her. "But first, there's one last thing I need to tell you," when she says this, Naruto's eyes flew wide and stared into hers. "Naruto, I want you to know the truth behind the incident 16 years ago, the year you were born."

"The _truth_?" Naruto asks.

"I…I was the previous Nine-tails Jinchuuriki. That's where it all begins," she tells her.

"Mom, you were the nine-tail's Jinchuuriki?!" Naruto gasps out.

"Yes, but before I tell you about what happened I want you to know a little more about who I am. I was chosen as the second Nine-tail's Jinchuuriki. The truth is, I was brought to the Leaf Village for the express purpose of becoming a Jinchuuriki," she says and Naruto's eyes narrow.

"Why…you lived in a whole nother country, why did you have to become a Jinchuuriki?!" Naruto yells.

"Yes, I lived in a different country, and a different village, but the fire and whirlpool countries, and the Leaf and Eddy villages had very strong ties to one another. Shinobi of the Leaf's Senju clan and the Eddy's Uzumaki clan were distant blood relatives. The people of the Eddy Village were all blessed with astonishingly long lives, to the point our village became known as the 'Village of Longevity.' Our clans specialized in sealing techniques, though their processes were a little rough. The Four-Element seal on your stomach was based on techniques from my village. In fact, I taught Minato, your dad a whole bunch of different seals. Naruto, the mark on your back is the symbol of the Hidden Eddy Village. Even today, the Leaf uses it as a symbol of friendship and goodwill. My country is long gone; it was only a matter of time. In that Era of war, people quickly came to fear the power of our sealing techniques. The few survivors disappeared, scattering themselves across the globe," Kushina paused.

"But then…then why'd you have to…" Naruto cuts herself off as she's showing her anger.

"Apparently I was born with a particularly strong Chakra that was well-suited to suppressing the nine-tails. My predecessor as the Jinchuuriki was also a powerful female Ninja; I guess it was seen as appropriate. It's funny, her name was Uzumaki Mito, she became the First Hokage's wife, and I ended up marrying the Fourth!" Kushina chuckles at the irony as she scratches her nose. "Do you know about the battle between the First Hokage Hashirama Senju-sama and Uchiha Madara?"

"Yeah," Naruto answers as she is a little calmer.

"During their fight, Hashirama-sama gained control of the Nine-tail's and in order to better aid him; Mito-sama sealed it inside her own body, becoming the first nine-tail's Jinchuuriki. From then on the Leaf took possession of the fox, and as Mito-sama neared the end of her life, I was brought to the village as the Nine-tail's new 'vessel'," Kushina says as she stared into her eyes.

"So they used you!" Naruto growls out as she furrows her brow.

"I had no idea why I had to move, when I learned the truth, I was speechless. It had all been kept top-secret, only the Third Hokage and the top village councilors knew, only three people. I felt like I was suffocating under the pressure of being a Jinchuuriki and the crushing loneliness that came with it, but then Mito-sama said this to me: 'Ultimately, we were brought here to become the vessel of the Nine-tailed fox, but before the beast can be housed we must fill the vessel with love. Do that and even the host of the nine-tailed fox may live a happy life'," she tells her.

"Mom, you were a Jinchuuriki, but you were still happy?" Naruto asked with worried eyes.

"Yes," she smiles at the young woman who ends up tearing up and chuckling at the same time. "Naruto, you don't need to cry anymore."

"Wait –" Naruto quickly says as she wipes her eyes with her sleeve and her mom hummed while staring at her. "The fox attacked the Leaf 16 years ago, and it was because the masked Akatsuki guy had control of it! So how could you have been holding it at the same time?"

"I guess your dad didn't get to tell you…It figures, he left most of it to me, Minato must've had very little time. Well, you're right! That masked murderer did have control of the Nine-tails when it attacked 16 years ago, but it was only moments before his attack that it was still sealed inside me," when she says this Naruto furrowed her eyebrows even more.

"But how?!" Naruto huskily asked.

"The masked man, I don't know how, but he knew," she told her.

"Knew what?" Naruto asks.

"He knew the one moment when a Jinchuuriki's seal is at its weakest. He waited for that moment and when it came, he stole the fox from me," she says.

"N-no…don't say it…I know the answer already…" Naruto says as she bites her lip.

"Childbirth," she nods at Naruto. "It just makes me so glad that you didn't have as much issues as I did when you were giving birth. A full-term pregnancy for a female Jinchuuriki is about 10 months. As the energy used to maintain the seal starts going to nurture the child, the seal weakens in direct proportion."

"I was right a little past nine months when I gave birth to the twins, so maybe it's because they were twins that it was shorter," Naruto says and stares at her mother with sad eyes.

~3~

"I'll be there for the birth; we have to take care of the seal and everything. I'll get everything prepared beforehand," Minato tells the two elders sitting there talking to him and Kushina.

"This is what we did for your predecessor Mito-sama as well. The seal nearly failed when she gave birth," the Third Hokage tells them. "I'm afraid we'll need to prepare for the worst; we'll set a place up outside the village and erect a barrier to protect it. Only Minato, my wife Biwako and Taji from the ANBU will be inside. This must be kept top-secret. Of course there will be reinforcements outside, ANBU under my direct command."

"I'll tell Yiz where the place is, so get your things ready!" Biwako tells Kushina.

"Yes, thank you both," she tells them.

~3~

Kushina and Biwako were walking through the town on their way to gather up Kushina's things and get the birthing under way. On the way she met up with Uchiha Mikoto who is toting the new born Sasuke. "Didn't you have a girl?" Kushina asks.

"Nope, another boy," Mikoto tells her as her baby is sleeping a sleep only newborns could do.

"Well, what's his name, Mikoto?" Kushina asks.

"Sasuke," she says as she stares down at her precious boy.

"Ah, the same as the Third's father. Yes, I'm sure he'll become a fine Shinobi," Biwako says smiling back at the young woman.

"You're almost due, aren't you Kushina? You should pick out a name before it's too late," Mikoto tells her.

"We've got one – 'Naruto'. He and Sasuke-kun will be in the same grade, I hope they become friends! By the way, does it hurt? Like, bad?" Kushina asks anxiously.

"Well well, even you're afraid of something. I'll be," Mikoto teases her friend as she smiles at the terrified woman.

"Come on already!" Biwako says as she grabs Kushina's hand and starts dragging her away.

"Oh, sorry!" Kushina waves back at her friend.

"See you!" Mikoto says as she watches them walk on.

"Remember, we need to keep your birth classified. Try not to talk to anyone while we're on the move, even your friends," Biwako warns her.

"Right, sorry about that," Kushina says nervously as she rubs the back of her head.

"The fact that we're leaving the village for this is classified as well! Don't go screaming your head off, even when the contractions start," Biwako warns.

"R-right," she stutters out.

~3~

"Oh god, it hurrrrrrrrrrrts!" Kushina screams out in pain inside of their supposed to be secret base where she's now in labor.

"I, uh, I've never heard Kushina in so much pain, are…are you sure she's alright?" Minato asks as his voice is full of worry as he was trying to keep the seal from opening.

"She's fine! Just keep your eyes on the seal!" Biwako shouts at him.

"But, she's –" Minato was interrupted.

"Good lord, you're the Fourth Hokage! Don't panic! This is why women have babies, you men can't handle pain!" She shouts at him as the seal starts to open a little bit.

 _'It's so strong! I can feel the fox struggling to break out!'_ Kushina thought as she screamed out from another contraction hitting her.

"Hang in there Kushina! Hang in there Naruto!" Minato says as he quickly gets the seal under control again. Outside, a man takes his hand off of the neck of one of the ANBU's that were stationed outside for guards. He stares up at the opening to the chamber as the bodies of the ANBU were floating on the water, either bled to death or strangled. He walks towards the cliff facing below the entrance and phases through the rocks. Kushina screams out in pain again.

"The head's out! Almost there, Kushina!" Biwako shouts as she stares at the blond hair.

"Keep going, Kushina-san!" Yiz shouts as she helps the Third's wife as the Kyuubi batters against her cage, yet again.

"Narutooo, get out here! And Nine-tail's, you stay right where you are!" Minato shouts as he closes his eyes tight, using a lot of his abilities to keep the seal from busting open. Kushina has tears rushing down her cheeks as she moans out, biting her lip from all of the pain that Kyuubi is causing, trying to burst out. Suddenly, a burst of an infant's cry echoes throughout the room.

"Get the hot water!" Biwako tells her assistant.

"Yes ma'am!" Yiz shouts as she rushes off to do as she was told.

"It's okay," Minato says as he stares at his son in shock, Kushina panting out from all of the exertion.

"Congratulations, it's a healthy baby boy!" Yiz shouts out before Biwako glares at her.

"Correction, it's a healthy shemale," she smiles brightly at Kushina and Minato whose eyes widen and they smile at each other.

"A full Uzumaki gem, huh?" Minato says as they looked down at the crying baby. "So, more male or female?"

"We won't know until he's around five or six," Biwako says as she hands him over to his parents.

"Look at me, I'm a father!" Minato says as he laughs and wipes his tears.

"Naruto, I finally get to meet you," Kushina says as she pants out and tears run down her sweaty face.

"Okay, Kushina! I know you're exhausted from the birth, but we've gotta get the Nine-tail's completely sealed!" Minato says as he turns his attention back to the seal, trying to force it back shut again.

"Right!" She says as she smiles at him and pants out. Two grunts of pain and thuds were heard behind them, making Minato's eyes widen.

"Biwako-sama, Taji!" He shouts as he saw their bodies laying there with no life inside of them.

"Fourth Hokage, Minato. Back away from the Jinchuuriki or your son dies at the ripe old age of one minute," Tobi tells him as he holds his hand in the shape of a claw over the infants face.


	35. Chapter 35

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** Yay, another chapter down. So, now for the next.

Thanks to:

 **Inuyasha16451:** I'm glad you loved the new chapters. Here's some more so you can read on.

 **Chapter Thirty-Five**

 _'How did he break through the barrier? Who the hell is this guy?'_ Minato thought as he glared back at the man when Kushina cries out as the Kyuubi batters at the shields again. The seal is wide open showing the Chakra from the beast just waiting to bubble out. "Kushina! The seal's not done!"

"Back away from the Jinchuuriki or don't you care if your son dies?" Tobi says as he brandishes a Kunai over the baby while the two bodies of the Third Hokage's wife and her helper are pooling around them.

"Hold it, j-just calm down!" Minato says as he holds a hand up, trying to get him to wait while Kushina cries out.

"You should take your own advice, Minato. I'm perfectly calm," Tobi says as he tosses Naruto up in the air.

"Naruto!" Kushina screams out in fear for her son, as Minato narrows his eyes, watching the man thrust his Kunai towards the baby. He teleports and quickly grabs Naruto, balancing himself on the wall.

"You live up to the 'Yellow flash' moniker, but what now?" Tobi says and Minato's eyes widen when he saw the explosive notes on the blanket that Naruto is wrapped in. He quickly takes the blanket off of him just as the bombs went off.

"Minato! Naruto!" Kushina screams as she watches everything explodes. Minato slides across the dirt from where he teleported and stared at the wreckage.

"Thank god, you're not hurt," he says and winces from the shard of wood jutting out from his ankle. _'He's after Kushina; he forced me to use my Flying Thunder God Technique to separate us!'_ He thought as he tossed the piece of wood and it landed in a grassy area. _'Gotta hurry!'_ He thought as he teleported back into the safe room in the back of the hide out.

~3~

"What…are you after?" Kushina grits out as she is chained on top of a small rock with chains holding her in place attached to four huge rocks surrounding her.

"I came to rip the nine-tails from your stomach and use it to crush the Leaf," Tobi tells her.

"What?!" She pants out.

"Minato's Teleportation technique uses a special marking that lets him instantly move from one marking to the next. I see he's incorporated it into the design of your seal," he says while looking at the seal on her stomach. "All so he would always be there to protect you, but I managed to get away from him and the seal has been greatly weakened from the birth. Do you have _any_ idea how long I've waited for this moment?!" Tobi stares at her with a Sharingan activated eye, making her eyes widen when she saw it.

~3~

"You'll be safe here; you'll wait on your own for a little bit, Naruto. I've gotta go save your mom before it's too late," Minato tells the baby as he tucks him into the bed.

~3~

 **"You…!"** Kyuubi growls out at the Uchiha until Tobi activates his ability taking away the Kyuubi's free will. The chains started dissolving as the Kyuubi's body is out of control. Suddenly, Kushina's body is covered in the Kyuubi's cloak as the Kyuubi starts leaving her body.

"Come forth, nine-tailed fox!" Tobi shouts as the last of the Kyuubi's Chakra is released from the prison with a huge roar rumbling the entire area as the Kyuubi is fighting inside her own body, not wanting to be controlled even if it frees her from her cell. "We head for the Hidden Leaf Village," Tobi says as he starts walking away from Kushina.

"S-stop," Kushina weakly pants out.

"The Uzumaki Clan is really something special. Even wrenching a tailed beast out of your body didn't kill you right away," Tobi says as the Kyuubi raises a paw controlled by Tobi to attack her. "It's only fitting for the nine-tails to kill her former Jinchuuriki. Kushina knew she couldn't move at all so she stares up at the incoming paw with huge wide eyes. Then when the paw crashes down to crumble the rock a blond headed male appears on the top of a tree, carrying Kushina. "A small flash of hope, but it's too late."

"Minato, is Naruto…is Naruto okay?" She huffs out as she tries to stay conscious.

"Yes, he's fine. I hid him somewhere safe," he tells her as he smiles down at her.

"Oh, thank God," she cries out weakly as her smile trembles and he glares at Tobi over his shoulder. "Minato, stop him…stop the nine-tails. They're headed for the village…" He stares down at her as she closes her eyes and they both disappear into thin air.

"Gone again, no matter, on to the Leaf!" Tobi says.

~3~

Minato teleports them back to the safe room with Kushina asking, "Why?"

"Never mind why, stay with Naruto," he tells her as he places her next to the baby that is deeply sleeping.

"Naruto…" Kushina sobs out as tears fall down her eyes as she hugs him to her. Minato stares at her and clenches his fist so hard that he cracks his knuckles. "Minato, thank you, good luck."

"I'll be back before you know it," he says as he dons his Fourth Hokage robe.

~3~

The Fourth appears on a huge ridge and then the Kyuubi turns eyes towards him, the eyes cry out for help, her not wanting to be even doing this is filling the silent cry. "So you noticed me already," he says and the Kyuubi struggles as her body is forced to gather the energy for a beast bomb. "Not on my watch!" Minato says as he hurts to see the beast he has started to get attached to since he has been with Kushina. He knew she wasn't always bad, but there was always the part that she couldn't control because of the darkness inside. He started weaving signs that ends up teleporting the beast bomb to an uninhabited area in the forest. _'Gotta pick a safe place to let that huge blast detonate,'_ Minato thought as the blast sounds through the whole area.

"It stopped the Nine-tail's attack, that was a space-time barrier technique!" Chouza says as they were all watching the attack and heading straight for the Kyuubi.

"It's Minato!" Shikaku rasps out.

"Everyone move out!" The Third says.

"Sir!" The Ninja's all say as they run off.

 _'I have to tell the third what happened,'_ Minato thought as Tobi appears behind him, making him take his specialized Kunai to stab him in the head only for him to go through him. Tobi grabs his wrist.

" _You_ will face _me_ ," Tobi says. "Aaaand, we're done," he says as he tried to suck him into his own dimension. "He teleported, talk about fast. Next time I'll warp you the moment I lay my hand on you."

~3~

Minato falls to the ground by one of his Kunai, grunting as he stares up. _'My attack slipped right through him, but a moment later he was solid and trying to…suck me into some dimension or something, what was that?'_ He wondered as he saw something start to appear before him.

"You won't escape me," Tobi says.

 _'Whatever he did, it must be how he moved so far after taking Kushina! Does he use space-time techniques too? He defeated ANBU under the direct command of the Third, got past the most powerful top-secret barrier we have, and must have known the seal would be weak. While Kushina was giving birth…Then with the seal undone he took the nine-tails and marched straight into the Leaf without so much as pausing to deal with the barrier…There's only one man I can think of that makes sense…'_ He thought as he never took his eyes off of the man. "Are you Uchiha Madara?" He asks and Tobi he takes his hood off. "No, you couldn't be. He's long dead."

"Oh, I don't know about _that_ …" Tobi says.

"On second thought, it doesn't matter who you are, but why have you attacked the Leaf?" He asks him as he assesses him with his eyes.

"Oh, you know, it's fun, it's part of my plan…to start a war, to bring peace," he tells the older male as he clenches his fist.

 _'Whoever he is, he's incredible! He can control the nine-tails, wields space-time techniques that exceed both the Seconds and my own, and clearly has evil intentions. If I don't kill him now he'll become a greater danger than the fox!'_ Minato thought as he starts to stand and holds the Kunai in front of him, ready for an onslaught. _'If I teleport back to the village he'll just follow me and things will get even more chaotic. If he really is Madara, then I doubt he can summon the nine-tails for very long. I'll just have to leave the village in the Third's hands and finish him off right here!'_

"There's no hope for any of you!" Tobi shouts and rushes to attack Minato, releasing his chains as they flew through the air behind him and Minato phases through him, he tightens down the chains so they will wrap around the older male. Before they could completely tighten, Minato flashes away.

 _'He makes his body intangible to negate my attacks, and then solidifies to counterattack. My only shot is to try and trade hits with him!'_ He thought as he looked at the other male over his shoulder. _'But attacking all is a big risk for him. If he can only keep the nine-tails summoned for a short time, he won't want this fight to drag on. It comes down to speed; whoever strikes a split second earlier will win!'_ Minato started running towards him and throws his Kunai that went straight through Tobi's head. Tobi raised his hand up to grab a hold of him as he forms a Rasengan.

 _'Gotch –'_ Tobi thought as soon as his hand was about to grab him, Minato disappears, reappearing above him, attacking him with the Rasengan. _'Damn it, he teleported to the Kunai he just threw!'_ Tobi thought as he grit his teeth as rage fills him.

"That was the Flying Thunder God Technique – Level Two," Minato tells him as the Rasengan starts doing damage. When it finished, Tobi jumps away from Minato holding his arm, which is slowly detaching from the rest of it. Suddenly, Minato is in front of him, stabbing his Kunai into Tobi's stomach.

 _'The Flying Thunder God Technique! He must've put that marking somewhere on my body!'_ Tobi thought as he grunted out and Minato places his hand on Tobi's chest. Markings started appearing under his hand. "A contract seal?! Are you trying to pull the nine-tails free from my control?!"

"No, I already did! She's no longer your weapon!" Minato tells him as the Kyuubi gains control of her body.

~3~

She stares at all the Ninja around her, sorrow filling her eyes. She noticed the dead bodies and the injured that from their scent alone she could tell they wouldn't be alive for long.

"Iruka, are you hurt?" A woman asks her son as blood pours from her mouth and Kyuubi's eyes tear up, knowing she's responsible for this woman's soon to be death.

"Mom…" Iruka whimpers out as he stares at the wound on her back.

"Dad! Mom's –" He shouts at his father who is protecting them.

"I'll take care of your mother! You get out of here!" His dad shouts.

"No way, Dad! I can't leave you and Mom alone! I'll protect her!" Iruka shouts back.

"Cut the crap! Parents are supposed to protect their children!" He shouts at the teen from over his shoulder. Kyuubi roars out as her sorrow flips a switch for her dark side to activate.

 _'Where is Minato?'_ The Third wonders and points towards the Kyuubi. "We've driven it out of the village! Don't stop setting traps!"

~3~

"You deserve the title of Fourth Hokage, managing to wound me and wrest the fox from my control in one move, but someday it will be mine again," Tobi tells him as he floats above the older male. "The fox, and this whole world, will bow to my will. Many doors are still left open to me." He starts phasing into his dimension, Minato not able to stop him.

 _'Something tells me he wasn't lying,'_ he thought as he glares up at where the man was.

~3~

"Hold it off until the Fourth arrives!" A Ninja shouts.

"Lemme go!" Iruka shouts as a Ninja drags him off. "My mom and dad are still fighting!"

~3~

"What do you mean?!" One of the younger Shinobi protests as they were sealed in a small area where they couldn't go and help.

"I don't want you kids going anywhere near the nine-tails. We're not fighting another village, this is our own village's problem, and not something you should be risking your lives for," he tells them.

"That's a load of crap and you know it!" Kurenai shouts.

"Calm down, Kurenai," Asuma tells her.

"You are a Shinobi, and you may or may not have a long life, but, my dear daughter, you are also a woman. If nothing else, survive long enough to give me a grandchild and pass the will of Fire on to them! Promise me at least that, I will put my faith in you," her father tells her as the Kyuubi lost control of herself and creates a beast bomb.

~3~

Minato appears within sight of the Kyuubi and his eyes widen, seeing the Kyuubi so out of control. _'This is awful,'_ he thought.

"Not again!" The Third says as he slumps down a little.

"Third!" A Shinobi says as he watches him almost seem defeated right as Gamabunta appears right in front of them. "It's the Fourth!" Minato thought of what Tobi told him and scrunches his eyes shut.

 _'Sorry, Kushina,'_ he thought to her. "Hold the fox down for a minute!" He shouts at the huge toad.

"Look, I may be big, but I'm not a miracle worker!" The toad complains.

"I need enough Chakra to take him and that blast out of here!" He tells him as the Third stares down the blast that the Kyuubi is forming. As quick as can be, Minato teleports himself and the Kyuubi off right before the blast explodes.

"Minato, did he teleport himself and the nine-tails?" The Third wonders and a bright light is seen in the darkness in the far distance. "Out there!"

~3~

The Kyuubi stares around her at the destroyed area, still not in control of herself and Minato teleports back with Kushina and Naruto in his arms. "Gotta put up a barrier," Minato says as he winces from all the drainage on his Chakra.

"My Chakra's almost drained," Kushina tells him and releases some of her chains from her back, pinning the fox down. She screams out and trembles under the strain.

"Kushina!" Minato shouts, worried about his wife.

"Sorry Naruto, I didn't…mean to wake you," she tells her son as he started to cry in his father's arms.

"Kushina," Minato strains out.

"I'll drag the nine-tails…back…and die with it inside me. That'll…prevent it from coming back…for a while…It's the only way to save you both…with the little bit of Chakra I have left. Thank you…for everything," she smiles at him weakly as you could even see the effects of the seal rupturing on her face, showing that it is killing her slowly. Minato's eyes widen as he gasps out.

"Kushina…you…" His voice trembles as the baby steadily cries. "You made me your husband; _you_ made me into the Fourth Hokage… _You_ made me this boy's father! And I…"

"Don't look so sad, Minato. I'm…I'm happy. Happy that you loved me. Happy that it's…our son's…birthday. Like, if I try to imagine surviving and the three of us…living together…I can't think of anything…beyond 'I'd be so happy'," she tells him and tears start falling down his cheeks. "If I had regrets, it would be that I won't see Naruto grow up."

"Kushina, you don't need to take the fox down with you. We can use our last bit of Chakra to see Naruto one more time!" He tells her as he wipes the tears from his cheeks.

"Huh?" She says as her eyes widened.

"I'll seal the last of your Chakra in Naruto with an eight trigrams seal. Then I'll lead the nine-tails away with a seal only a none-Jinchuuriki like me can use the dead demon seal!" He tells her as he cuddles the baby to his chest.

"But that…the user will be –" She shouts until he interrupts her.

"But I'll only be able to seal half the fox's power. It's just too great, it's physically and conceptually impossible to completely seal it all. I can't let the nine-tails be revived without a Jinchuuriki, the balance of tailed beasts will be destroyed, but with the dead demon seal I can permanently seal half the fox's power along with myself, and the remaining half…I'll seal the remaining half inside Naruto with the Eight Trigrams Seal!" As he says this, Kushina's eyes widen even more. "I know what you want to say, but Jiraiya-sensei spoke of the world undergoing a revolution, and with it, a great disaster! Tonight I've confirmed two things. The first is that masked man, the one who attacked you; he is the harbinger of that disaster! And Naruto will be the one to stop him. The Jinchuuriki who will blaze the train to our future, I just…know it." The Third lands close by.

"But…Minato," Kushina says and watches as he starts weaving the signs for the seal, bringing out the demon that the technique was created for.

"Have a little faith! He is our son after all!" He says as he felt his soul being gently taken from his body and held up in the demons hair. Kushina stares at him, panting, not agreeing with this plan one bit. "After I finish the Dead Demon Seal I'll place your remaining Chakra into Naruto as well. You'll meet the grown-up Naruto sooner than you think; the time will come when he'll attempt to take control of the fox's power. I want you there to help."

"Our son…that's why! I don't want him to bear such a heavy burden all on his own!" She shouts up at him and he stares down at her with sorrow filled eyes. "But why…why the Dead Demon Seal?! There's no reason for you to die, just so I can meet him for a few minutes when he's older! I wanted you to be there for him. I wanted you to raise him! Why…why are you sacrificing _Naruto_ just to preserve the balance of the tailed bests, to save the village, and the country…Why are you sacrificing yourself for me?!" She cries out, panting more heavily now from screaming at him.

"Turning your back on the country, on the village is just as bad as abandoning a child. You should understand you saw your own country fall apart. You know the pain of growing up without a home of your own, and you know that we are a family…of Shinobi!" He says as he stares down at her. "Besides, even if I lived I could never substitute for you," he says and crouches down in front of her so he could stare her straight in the eyes. "There are things Naruto needs to be told, things I could never say myself. That's the mother's job, and I need you to carry it out, even if you only have the briefest of moments to do so. This isn't just for you, this is for Naruto!" He says as he holds Naruto out so she could stare down at their son. "Dying to make a better life for his son, that's the stuff you let the father handle."

"Those markings, it can't be…" The summon in his hand says.

"The Dead Demon Seal?!" The Third says as he stares at the small family by the Kyuubi.

"What's happening, Third?!" One of the two Shinobi's that arrived to aid him asks.

"We're too late; they've put up a barrier around the nine-tails! Whatever they're doing, they're doing it alone!" The Third says as he punches into the barrier.

 _"Curse you, Fourth Hokage!"_ Kyuubi says to him as she simmers down and realizes what the man is willing to go through to protect everyone. She knows what will happen and is saddened at what the outcome will be.

"Seal!" Minato says as he starts controlling the Jutsu as the Kyuubi roars and the evil Chakra is sealed inside of his body. _'My body's gone numb, what a heavy Chakra.'_

"It _is_ the Dead Demon Seal! I can't believe he actually used it," Sarutobi says as his heart hurts.

"But the fox remains! He didn't seal all of it! But it's shrunk!" One of the Shinobi says as they stare at the Kyuubi that is a little below half the size.

"Now for the Eight Trigrams Seal! I'm going to seal the Kyuubi inside Naruto," he says as he summons the pedestal that Naruto will be on during the Sealing.

 _ **'The ceremonial throne! He plans to reseal me into that child?!'**_ Kyuubi growls when she thought of all the pain that the baby will be going through. Kushina wobbles, trying to keep herself upright while watching her husband place their child on the pedestal.

"Kushina, stay with me!" Minato shouts as she starts coughing up more blood.

 _ **'Now!'**_ Kyuubi says as she wants to stop this so the child doesn't suffer. She spears the two with her claws and the two stare down at their son.

"If the father can do this job the mother should be even better, right?" Kushina tells him as he is speared behind him.

"Is that a baby?" Sarutobi asks.

"They protected it!" One of the Shinobi's says.

 **"Damned humans! You don't know what you are placing upon an innocents shoulder!"** She growled out.

"You win…first argument, you've ever won. I guess, you're really serious," she tells him as she stares at him from over her shoulder.

"Thank you, Kushina," he says as he weaves signs and summons a toad who ends up looking around.

"Aah, the nine-tails! And Fourth, what the hell happened to you!" The toad asks.

"Gamatora, I'm entrusting you with the key to the seal. Hurry to Jiraiya-sensei, store it with him," he tells the toad.

"I see, Minato intend to save the village by making his son the new Jinchuuriki!" Sarutobi says as he stares at his protégé.

"Got it! Good…Goodbye!" He says sadly as he rerolls the scroll back into his body and then disappears.

"That does it," Minato says as the Kyuubi's evil spirit struggles to leave Minato's soul, who is fighting for it to stay. "It's time for me to go, Kushina…" He tells his wife as the Demon raises his short sword and licks his lips. "I'm going to perform the Eight Trigrams Seal, and try to leave a little of my own Chakra in Naruto, too! We don't have much time, if you have anything left to say to Naruto," he says as they stare at the tiny baby.

"Naruto…Naruto, don't be a fussy eater. Eat a lot and grow up to be a big boy! Take your bath every day, go to bed early and sleep well. Make friends, it doesn't matter how many…Just make sure they're real friends. People you can trust, even a few is enough! And study your Ninjutsu…I was never very good at it, maybe you will be. Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not, don't feel bad if you can't do it all. Make sure you listen to the teachers, at the Academy and remember avoid the three vices of Shinobi. Don't borrow money if you can help it. Save what you earn from missions, no drinking alcohol until you're 20, and don't overdo it or you'll ruin your body. And as for women, well, I'm sure that there might be a change to that considering if you are anything like your mother, you will probably go to the girly side. So I do have a feeling you won't have to worry about women and I hope you just plainly find love, okay? Just try not to pick a weird one, try to find someone like your Father if you are more on the feminine side. And the fourth warning, watch out for Jiraiya-sensei!" When she says this Minato's face explodes in laughter and tears form in her eyes. "Naruto, you're going to experience a lot of pain and suffering. Remember who you are! Find a goal, a dream, and don't stop trying until it comes true! There's…there's…! There's…there's so much more I want to say, to teach you about, I want to stay with you, I love you…" she says as her tears run down her eyes. "I'm sorry Minato; I took all our time…"

"It's okay. Naruto, this is your dad. Listen, to your motor-mouth mother," he tells his son as the last of his Chakra drains from his body, as the both of them watch the small smile form on the baby's lips. **"Eight Trigrams Seal!"**

~3~

"I'm so sorry," Kushina tells her daughter. "We made you into the nine-tail's vessel, and left you with such a heavy burden. I wasn't there to raise you; I wasn't there to love you!"

"Don't apologize, I had a lot of hard times, growing up as a Jinchuuriki, but I never blamed either of you!" She tells her as she stares down at her feet, making Kushina's eyes widen. "Maybe I never understood what a parent's love is really like, but I never had a mom or dad to begin with, so I managed." This pained her mother so much that tears started forming in her eyes. "But now I get it, I live because my mom and dad gave their lives for me. You filled me up with love before you put the nine-tails in me! So here I am, happy and healthy! I'm glad I ended up being your daughter!" She says with a joy filled voice as the tears spill from her mother's eyes and as she brought her arms up, you could see them starting to dissolve.

 _'Did you hear that, Minato? Our love reached her after all!'_ Kushina cried out to her husband as she starts to raise her arms to wrap around her daughter. "Naruto, thank you for letting me be your mother, for letting Minato be your father. Thank you for being our daughter," she says and finally disappears. _"Thank you, thank you!"_ Her mother's voice flowed through her head as tears started falling from Naruto's eyes.

 _'Mom, I promise I'll eat more than ramen from now on, I'll work in the vegetables. I love hopping in a hot bath so no worries there, and I get_ plenty _of sleep, probably too much! As for friends, I've got plenty and they're all wonderful people! I just wish you could've met them. I have found someone to love, even though he's been giving me a lot of grief lately! As for school, you, uhh…you were right on that one. It never got me down, though! It wasn't always smooth sailing with the teachers and students in the Academy, but I really respect all of them now. Jiraiya-sensei taught me all about the three vices of Shinobi, he's just like you remember him. But still, he was a great man! He taught me how to live as a true Shinobi should! Oh, and by the way, I hope Dad loves this part, I have changed my name. I am Uzumaki-Namekaze Naruto of the Hidden Leaf. My dream is to become Hokage! One to surpass all the previous Hokage's,'_ Naruto thought as she sent the message to her mom. "To become a bigger badass than my father!" She declares, pounding a fist to her abundant chest. "To become a stronger Shinobi than my mother!"

~3~

"Hell yeah!" Naruto shouts out as she opens her eyes, shocking the other two.

"What happened? How did it go?" Yamato asked as he leaned over to look in her eyes.

"A lot happened," she tells him as Bee holds out his fist to fist bump. As soon as their fists touch and the older male grins.

"I feel ya, I feel ya, nice, nice. The look on your face is cool as ice!" He raps out to her.

"What about the nine-tails? Were you able to control it?" Yamato asks as he couldn't understand these two.

"Good stuff, man. Especially this...oh, and _that_ …" He raps out more as she giggles. "Whoooooooooa, Naruto! You pulled that off?! Sheeeet!"

"You know it, dude!" She shouts back.

"Would one of you explain what happened?! 'This' and 'that' don't tell me anything! You're doing this on purpose, I know it! That much is clear!" Yamato shouts as he loses his patience.

"The nine-tail's Chakra is sectioned off within me in a separate place, meaning I'm not automatically using it all the time," she says as she takes a little bit of the Chakra and fills her channels with them. "But check out what happens when I do!" Naruto says with a smirk as her body is covered in the ultimate Kyuubi cloak, with the designs of the Seal all over her. The wooden seal protectors that Yamato summons suddenly start to grow leaves and branches.

"Amazing, it's so full of life energy. Even my Wood-Element Techniques are reacting to it," Yamato says as he stares at the growing limbs.

"Killer," Bee says.

"Huh?" Naruto's eyes widen.

"What?" Yamato asks as Bee's face is confused.

"Thought you could hide, huh?" Naruto says as she looks at Bee's sword.

"Can you sense someone else's Chakra?" Yamato asks.

"She detected a presence, we both been remiss! Talk about intense, I didn't even notice!" Bee raps.

 _'Impossible! Samehada and I have identical Chakras, there's no way she can tell I'm here!'_ Kisame thought as he practically tenses up.

"It's not Chakra! It's like, some kinda evil presence, or something! It's that thing! That…" she points to the sword.

"Sword?!" Yamato shouts out as the huge sword detaches from Bee's back and Kisame started coming out of Samehada's mouth.

"Apparently you can detect Hatred and other negative emotions now. Not even the most astute sensor-types are capable of that. Gaining control of the nine-tails has afforded you interesting new powers," he tells her.

"You are that shark-scumbag from Akatsuki!" Naruto shouts.

"What? We sliced this guy's head off back in the forest! You tellin' me our tag attack actually missed?" Bee raps.

"I simply switched places while we were fighting in the water bubble, you and your brother merely decapitated a clone," Kisame explained.

"Clones disappear when they're killed! Man that doesn't hold water, we had a dead body! Even after the slaughter, if it was someone in disguise could've sensed the difference – your story's all shoddy!" Bee raps out.

"It wasn't a unique type of clone, a living being that can be controlled remotely, but let's move on, shall we? Although I must admit, two Jinchuuriki's and a wood-element user, that's a bit much, even for me," he says.

"Wait! How'd you even know how to open the gate in the first place?" Bee asks.

"What a foolish question. I've been spying on you the whole time," he tells the Jinchuuriki as he controls the sword and tries to escape but is suddenly punched hard enough to draw out a grunt.

"Huh?" Yamato's jaw drops.

"Teleport technique and a right handed smash, but all I saw, was a yellow flash!" Bee raps.

 _'What incredible speed,'_ Kisame thought as he grunts with blood spilling from his mouth.

"Agh, my leg! I stomped too hard, I'm stuck!" Naruto shouts as she looks down at her foot stuck in the wall.

"She's not quite at the Fourth's level yet! Bee-san, go after him! I'll help Naruto!" Yamato tells him.

"I'm on his ass, like white on rice!" Bee raps.


	36. Chapter 36

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto nor do I gain any money from writing stories about them.

 **A/N:** I'm sorry if I brought you guys to tears with the last chapter, I know I was tearing up while writing it. I just hope you all loved it even though it was a tear jerker.

Thanks to:

 **Melyway:** He saves her just, not fully. I'm glad you are enjoying this story.

 **Chapter Thirty-Six**

"Ow, ow, ow, I wrecked my ankle," Naruto says as she winces when Yamato touches her ankle.

"Make sure you exercise more control over your Chakra next time," he tells her as he finishes wrapping her ankle and finishes with a tap. "Okay, let's roll!" Yamato says and they quickly rush out, to see the spiraling waves of energy.

"What the hell was that?" Motoi asked as even he couldn't even fathom what it was.

"That's one of Guy-san's Eight Celestial Gate attacks, the Afternoon Tiger!" Yamato says.

"Afternoon Tiger, that's kind of a weak name for an Youth-obsessed energetic person like Guy-Sensei," Naruto says as she was in awe of the size of the attack.

"This is no time for jokes! The Afternoon Tiger's blast range explodes outward instantly! Brace yourselves!" Yamato says as he starts to bring his arms up to guard his face. They all gather around Guy-sensei as Yamato makes his wood into a stockade to keep him imprisoned.

"You rock, Super-Eyebrows-sensei! You actually beat this guy!" Naruto cheers him on.

"Rainin' down the blows, super eyebrows! Too bad that blue sweat stinks like a thousand cows!" Bee raps out as he points at the man.

"I'm no Inoichi-san, but now we'll finally be able to learn what Akatsuki knows, what their plans are, and who's leading them," he says as he places his hand on the knocked out prisoner. "Here I go!" He says as he places his hand on his own forehead, slipping into the fish man's head. "Okay, here goes nothing," he starts reading his mind and when he gets to the part about Uchiha Madara's true form, Kisame bites his tongue off, shocking everyone. "He-he bit his own tongue! He forced himself conscious so I couldn't get any info!"

 _'Are you insane?'_ Kisame burst out laughing, like a mad man as he bunches up his muscles, splintering the stockade to smithereens. Everyone shielded their eyes so the shards of wood wouldn't blind them.

 _'I reinforced the stocks with wood-element Chakra! How can he still have that much power?'_ Yamato wonders as he stares at the raging beast.

"You just don't know when to give up!" Guy shouts out.

"Take him alive! We'll never get another chance like this! We can get a lot more info out of him!" Aoba yells out.

"I know!" Guy shouts as he watches Kisame start weaving signs and forms a water prison around him, he punches the prison and his attack is stopped short. _'The water wall's blocking me!'_ He thought as Kisame finishes weaving more signs and slaps his hand down.

 **"Summoning Technique!"** Kisame summoned huge sharks inside of his water prison.

"That's the water prison technique!" Naruto shouts.

"Don't panic, no matter how strong he is there's nothing he can do in this situation! I'll catch him!" Yamato shouts back as he starts forming wood from his hands. Before the two could do anything, the sharks all take a bite and start tearing Kisame, limb for limb. In the process the water in the ball turned a dark red before it splattered everywhere, dropping the sharks on the ground before they disappeared back to their own places. "He made his own summoned sharks eat him, he was too weakened, he knew he couldn't escape us. To think that this is how Hoshigaki Kisame, the monster of the Hidden Mist and Itachi's partner would meet his end."

"Is he really dead?" Motoi asks them and Samehada growls out a little.

"This poor guy's cryin' like a baby. He's dead this time, and I don't mean maybe," Bee rapped out as he strokes the swords spikes.

"But, he did it so the enemy, us, wouldn't get any info," Naruto said as she remembers Nagato and the other dead Akatsuki members. "Even people in Akatsuki act for the sake of their comrades." She stared at the splattering of blood as she was depressed now, and then Guy pats her on her shoulder.

"He was a worthy opponent! A man who lived and died like a real Shinobi! Hoshigaki Kisame! I'll remember your name for the rest of my life!" He sadly tells her and looks at the scroll in his hands. "And now Akatsuki won't get any of this info."

"It must've been about what we're doing here, we should confirm what he wrote and see exactly what they were trying to learn about us," Aoba says.

"Good thinking!" Guy says as he starts to open the scroll, his eyes widening as soon as he saw the contents. Suddenly, water explodes out of the scroll, trapping them all inside of it.

"All this water pressure – it's the water prison!" Yamato shouts inside of it.

"It was a booby trap! Watch out, shark!" Aoba shouts out as he watches a huge shark grab a hold of the scroll. "Shit, it's headed for the ocean!"

"Aah! Stupid shark! The water's too heavy, I can't move right!" Naruto growls out as she tries to get the shark to release her from his maw.

"Mothafucka!" Bee shouts out as he punches the shark.

"The Eight Gates took too much energy," Guy says as he looks like he's the next meal for the shark in his prison.

"Guy-san, hang on!" Aoba shouts as he grabs the shark inside with him.

"Target's outta sight, he got away. Looks like in the end their spy won the day," Bee raps as his tentacles started to shrink while he floated in the water. One of the sharks was twitching on the ground as Naruto checked over Guy.

"You okay, Guy-sensei? Lemme give you a hand," she says as she pats his chest, making the man scream out in pain.

"Watch it! Don't touch guy-san, the aftereffects of opening the gates are starting to hit him, his muscle fibers have been ripped to shreds. Even the slightest touch will send intense pain racing through his body!" Yamato shouts at her.

"I-I'm sorry!" She says quickly and started to form Chakra over her hands and quickly started using it on the man, the healing is painful to the man and he starts screaming even more.

"Be gentle, be gentle!" He warns Naruto loudly.

"Can't be helped since the healing of muscles is always painful, especially when you have to basically repair rips and tears," she says.

"That water prison trap really delayed us from informing everyone there's been an information leak," Motoi says as he starts ripping off a message from a pad of papers.

"We'd be wise to assume the enemy knows our location by now," Aoba tells him. "This means we need to move Naruto and Bee-san as soon as possible! The enemy will expect it which means they won't be wasting any time!" Aoba says and watches as Motoi forms signs and summons an owl.

"Oh we'll move them, but not with a boat. They must remain on the island," he says and attaches the message to the birds leg. "Bee! How'd it do?"

"No luck-a, mothafucka!" He raps as he lands right next to him.

"What are you talking about? We'll move them, but they have to stay on the island?" Aoba says sounding really confused.

"You won't find this island on any map. They can _try_ to find us, but it won't be as simple as they think. Because this island is a fortress, a moving fortress. A giant tortoise that the Hidden Cloud Village has cared for since ancient times," Motoi tells them with a huge smile on his face, shocking Aoba. "Of course we should assume the enemy knows this, but regardless, moving the island to the Hidden Cloud is much safer than any boat. Besides, the story is Naruto's on a secret mission examining the island's ecology, right? It'd be too suspicious if she were to leave now.

~3~

"I said line up single file! Sheesh!" Naruto grits out as she is trying to get all of the beasts to line up.

"I win again, you can't beat me man!" Bee says as he uses his abilities to fool around with some of the beasts.

"The octopus and the crab, get in line!" Naruto shouts at them as she is tempted to hit the man with her clipboard.

"If there's a chance Akatsuki might attack us here, we have to hide the island's animals inside the giant tortoise's shell," Motoi says as he watches the two Jinchuuriki's fuss at each other.

"It works out, since Naruto thinks she's here to research the island's ecology. He's getting pretty into it, too!" Aoba says as he holds up Guy-sensei.

"It'd be a big problem if Naruto finds out about the war. She'd run straight for the battlefield. We have to keep her in the dark, because this war is to protect her," Yamato says, as the two Jinchuuriki's both started gathering information on the giant beasts on the island. A huge armadillo growls out as it blushes from all the questions.

"Hey Octo-dude, I can't tell if this thing's male or female, it's all rolled up," Naruto says as she runs a hand over the hard pelt of the armadillo who ends up trying to move its head into the ball more.

"This armadillo's always been shy; it won't show their junks so don't even try!" Bee raps out as he stares up at the beast.

"Excuse me! I'm on a top secret S-Rank mission! I'm researching this place's ecology!" She fusses at the man as she waves a pen around.

"It doesn't matter either way, let's call it a female and call it a day," Bee raps.

"But, but, but! It's got 'male' written all over its shell!" She points out.

"That's just a natural shell pattern," he says to the young woman.

"Come on dude, just ask it for me," she prods.

"Well?" He looks up at the armadillo who whispers in his ear, then turns to the girl and raps. "The privates are private."

"Oh really! Goddammit, this is a top secret S-rank mission, but why?!" She screams out at him, losing her patience.

"Male or female, some people dunno, ya know, yo? It's not like knowing what's the ground and what's the sky, mothafucka!" He raps out.

 _'Huh? Something's approaching rapidly, but it's not a person!'_ Motoi thought as his head quickly moved to the direction he was feeling the power coming from.

"What's happening?" Yamato asks him and then the island started shaking, scaring all the huge beasts.

"It's an Eaaaaarthquaaaake!" Naruto freaks out as one by one the huge beasts fall over until the whole room seemed to reverse itself and turn upside down, dropping each beast onto the ceiling of the room. Yamato used his wood element to create a forest on the ceiling to cushion their falls. "Owww, what a quake."

"The land and the sky actually switched places, mothafucka!" Bee groans out as Naruto looks back at the now knocked out giant armadillo.

"Well, even if the land and the sky switched places, a male's a male," Naruto says as she chuckles while writing down on the clipboard.

"This is no time to be researching giant animals!" Yamato yells at her.

"Calm down, Yamato-san," Aoba tries to calm the man down.

"Something's going on outside, but we need her convinced it was an earthquake!" Motoi tells them as they watch the two Jinchuuriki's arguing over the rights to hide others sexes. "We can't let them outside under any circumstances! We'll have to handle it ourselves!"

"What the heck is going on outside? Boy, sure are a lot of earthquakes today!" Yamato badly play acts with Aoba.

"Y-you said it!" Aoba stutters, even worse than Yamato.

"Too many if you ask me! And earthquakes can't actually flip the sky and the ground, can they?" Naruto asks the two.

"Oh, you just got tossed around so much it _felt_ like they switched," Yamato practically panics as he lies his ass off.

"You think?" She asks. "I'm gonna go take a look outside!"

"No! Y-you're on a top secret S-rank mission right now, you must complete the task assigned to you!" Yamato yells at her, completely panicked now.

"I was just gonna pop out for a second," Naruto pouts.

"A Ninja _must_ stick to their mission until the bitter end, and you're the only one who can complete this mission! The only one we could send here! So please, we're all counting on you, please, Naruto!" Yamato scolds.

 _'Even Naruto is realizing something's up, for all that blather about S-rank missions this has turned into 'does it have a penis or not?' Naruto's not that stupid, he's probably figured it-'_ Aoba was thinking when Naruto interrupts his train of thought.

"Right, I got it! I'll focus on my mission!" Naruto shouts as she grins.

 _'Or maybe we can make it through this! Thank the lord she's a gullible young lady!'_ Aoba thought as he stared at the girl.

~3~

"The sky and the ground flipped again, what the heck is up with this island?" Naruto says as she glares at the ceiling that now has trees coming down from it. "Captain Yamato still hasn't come back from checking the outside; he might be trapped under a bunch of debris or something."

"He's just investigating something, nothing you need to worry about," Aoba says as he lands besides Naruto and Motoi.

"Well, I'm _done_ with my mission here. Now I need to head back to the Leaf and wait for Sasuke," she says as she looks at them with determination in her eyes. "I made a promise to him!"

~3~

"How come the animals get to go back outside and I gotta stay cooped up in here?!" Naruto shouts as she complains.

"Naruto's angry, never meek, but sometime's it can make ya weak! You ain't got full control of your beast's Chakra, so it's time for more of my training to rock ya!" Bee raps and sprouts some tentacles from his back. "When we're done, you'll have the illusion in your head that the Chakra's actually your own arms and legs!" He says as he uses his tentacles to break apart some of the floor and throw them up into the air. "Use the Chakra to grab on tight," he says as he grips the different shapes, catching them right in the air. "Stack up the blocks, and use whatcha got," he stacked them almost perfectly since some of them were wobbling.

 _'Nice one, Bee!'_ Motoi says as he watches them.

"To get the balance just right!" He says as the stone blocks fall down.

"Okay! I'll do the same with the nine-tail's Chakra!" She flares up the Kyuubi's Chakra so that it covered her. _'I'll just try to stack 'em up so they won't collapse,'_ she watched as one of the rectangle slabs falls last and stretches her Chakra out. "Here goes!" She says as she grips it and it starts cracking, making her eyes widen and she holds back on the Chakra so that they wouldn't shatter.

"Wow, you didn't get violent, you're in control when it comes to might, but be careful when the touch needs to be light, you're on a roll!" He raps out.

 _'She almost destroyed the stone, thankfully she controls it so well, I guess holding it is actually more difficult?'_ Aoba thought as he watched, proud of what she's already accomplishing.

"Crap! Lemme try again!" She says as the stone slowly cracked and fell to pieces. _'Easy does it,'_ she thought as she clutches the next stone and gently placed it on top of a square stone. "Aww come on! One more try!" Naruto growls out as the stack of stones came tumbling down.

 _'Almost, that was only because the turtle moved. Which means we've arrived,'_ Motoi thought as he looked towards the temple entrance, he turned back when he hears a cheer of success.

"I did it!" Naruto does a little dance that made Bee chuckle as it was cute.

"Sweet, sis," he says as he feels proud of her quick accomplishment. "Now it's time for the final part, it's gonna be sad, you're gonna feel helpless, but don't get mad, 'cuz it's time to start!" He raps to her and she stares at him with confused eyes.

~3~

"So that room connects here too, huh? And now it's an eight-tails statue, this is getting really annoying," Naruto says as she sticks her head in the statues mouth to look for the switch.

"This is the entrance to a different place! Where the final stage of your training will resume! So shut up and get in the room!" He raps to her and walks through the door that opens. "Now I'mma teach you the strongest move a Jinchuuriki can learn aight? You good to go?"

"Yup! I have to learn to have complete control over this power, to make it my own! So what's the first step?" Naruto asks as she followed him.

"You turn into the beast itself while in tailed beast mode! That's the first step down the road!" Bee tells her as he starts sprouting his tentacles and growing horns. "Now it's your turn, time to explode!"

"It's not dangerous at all? To be honest, I'm kinda scared to turn into the fox," she admits.

"Mothafucka I know you got this! You pull out the pure Chakra and it won't go wild, you can't miss!" He tells her getting impatient with her uncertainty.

"Okay," she says and starts to concentrate on pulling out the pure Chakra.

"Keep going, picture the beast and explode!" He raps really loud and her whole body starts, changing while she roars loudly. Suddenly, Naruto's body changed into a cute little fox, making Bee speechless before Naruto changes back and falls back on her rump, groaning. "That, uh…really blows. Since you're not actually friendly with the nine-tails, the transformation just implodes."

 _ **"How're you gonna teach her the tailed beast bomb now? That's the first thing a Jinchuuriki learns when they transform into their tailed beast, Bee,"**_ the eight-tails asks him inside their inner sanctum.

"Hrrrmmm," Bee hums out, wondering that same thing.

"Man, I'm _beat_ , I used a ton of the nine-tail's Chakra too and it was still no good," she pants out as she falls back.

 _ **"Besides, shouldn't you tell her about the risks of tailed beast mode? There are fundamental differences between what you and Naruto have to worry about. Look, I'll explain it. Let me out front,"**_ the eight-tails suggests.

"Aight, teacher's taggin' out! I'll chill, _you_ be the blabber-mouth," Bee says as he gave his control over.

 **"Hey, Naruto! This is the Eight-tails talking now, not Bee. I've got a lot to say so pay attention!"** He tells her and she winces as she looks up at him.

"Something tells me this's gonna be complicated, but maybe the lack of raps will make up for it," she says as she starts to sit up.

 **"First things first – you put yourself in danger by using the Nine-tail's chakra,"** he warns her.

"Wait, what? There are risks with using that mode?" She asks as her eyes widen.

 _ **"Huge**_ **risks! While you're in basic tailed beast Chakra mode, the Nine-tails is sucking away your Chakra! You're temporarily shelving your "Naruto-Chakra" to use "Nine-tails-Chakra" instead. If she absorbs the "Naruto-Chakra" for long enough it'll run out, and you get your ticket to the afterlife,"** the Eight-tails warns her.

"Whaaaaaaat! How come Octo-dude doesn't have to worry about this?!" Naruto shouts out as her eyes practically bulge from its sockets.

 **"Just because you took the Nine-tail's Chakra doesn't mean you've completely tamed her. Bee and I used to be the same way – we went through the whole "Chakra trade" phase. Oh, and you shouldn't use Shadow Clones while you're in Tailed Beast Chakra Mode if you know what's good for you. For every clone you make she'll be absorbing a portion of your Naruto-Chakra, you'd run out and die in an instant,"** he explains.

"Heheh, but I've got plenty of Chakra, so even if we're doing some kinda 'exchange' or whatever…" Naruto says as she crosses her arms behind her head.

 **"You idiot! Don't take the Nine-tails power lightly, she'll devour every bit of Chakra you have!"** The Eight-tail's nags. **"It'll take time to recover any Naruto-Chakra she gets from you! Be vigilant! If you're constantly using the fox's Chakra whenever you're in battle, you** _ **will**_ **die! Mark my words! Normally you'd negotiate with the beast as to how much Chakra you'd both give, but the Nine-tail's isn't the type to sit down and talk things out, and there's a limit to the Chakra you manage to pull away from her."**

"This is so dangerous, and if I can't do it I can't use the Jinchuuriki's ultimate move?" She asks as she slumps over.

 **"Right, forget about the tailed beast bomb. Your time would be better spent honing your own techniques,"** Eight-tail's tells her.

"Tailed Beast Bomb? What kind of move is that?" She asks.

 **"Huh? Simple, you gather your Chakra, use shape manipulation to form it into a sphere, compress it in your mouth, and let it rip,"** he explains.

 _'It's that…'_ she thought as she remembers the attack that the fox tried using when she was trying to take the fox's energy.

 **"It kinda feels like you're throwing up, actually,"** he says to her.

"I'll try it in this mode!" She shouts and then shoves her fingers down her throat. _'Like this?'_ She almost throws up as she was basically tickling her gag reflexes.

 **"You can't do it if you're not in Full Beast Mode. Anyway, I said what I had to say, here's Bee again,"** he says and gave control back to his host who changes back.

"Well that's it, gotta give it up. We'll practice your own moves in Beast Chakra Mode, see if they level up," he tells her as he waves his tentacles around.

"But I can't do Rasengan's without Shadow clones; I can't use it in this mode. To release all the Chakra _and_ do the shape manipulation to rotate and compress it, I need two sets of hands," she explains.

"You'll have the illusion in your head that the Chakra's actually your own arms and legs!" He tells her.

"Ohhh yeah," she smiles. "Like this?" She asks as maneuvers her Chakra into hands.

"Not bad, you're in the zone! Now let's see how much you've grown!" Bee tells her with a huge grin.

"Here goes!" She shouts as she starts forming the Rasengan that starts looking very different than normal, a black ball that is gathering Chakra just like a Beast Bomb. "Huh?"

 _'That's-!'_ Bee thought as his eyes widen.

"Whoa!" Naruto shouts as it blew up.

 _'Your technique is exactly like the Tailed Beast Bomb, Mothafucka! The shape manipulation to rotate and compress it,'_ Bee thought. "Hey, Naruto, that technique, who the hell taught you that, you crazy cracker?!"

"Huh? Oh, the perverted hermit…I mean, Jiraiya-sensei, and the original creator's the Fourth Hokage," she tells him as she winces from being flung back from the Chakra exploding. Bee starts shaking as his eyes widen behind his sunglasses.

 _'The Fourth Hokage! What a coincidence or maybe fate! It's a miracle!'_ Bee practically shouted as he remembers his fight against the man. "Rasengan! It's the same process as the Tailed Beast Bomb, in full! A technique made from observing the tailed beast's own special attack! That's what Rasengan is!" He shouts as he is really astonished. "It's like it was made just to pass the Tailed Beast Bomb on to you! Lucky! It's easy enough to do when you're transformed, but the shape manipulation's too hard to do in human form, but add the rotation and you stabilize the storm!"

"I dunno, it doesn't feel like a normal Rasengan works in this mode," she says as she stares down at her hand.

"Tailed Beast Chakra consists of positive 'black' Chakra and negative 'white' Chakra, they need to be balanced! When you compress it, keep an 8:2 ratio of black to white and the ball will form! Go for it!"

"Right!" She shouts back at him. She starts creating the Rasengan again, not even gathering it into a ball before it blew, and throwing her back with a grunt.

"Still missin' the mark, that was 9.5 black and 0.5 white. It sounds easy at first but it's a hard fight!" He tells her as he still continues to watch her.

"All this crap about plus and minus and black and white and numbers came outta nowhere and I don't get it! I'm the kinda girl that learns through _experience_ , you know?" She tells him as she drops the Kyuubi Mode. "And this new Rasengan's so heavy I can barely hold it up, I don't have time to sweat all these little details!" She tells him as she waves her smoking hand. "I'm just gonna have to practice this 'Tailed Beast Rasengan' over and over and over until I get it right!" She says and groans in pain as her hands are still burning.

"There's only so much you can do in human form, your hands are paying the price, I say take a break, that's Killer Bee's advice," he raps.

"Didn't I just say there's no time to sweat the little details?" She says as she looks up at him through one eye as sweat pours down her face. "You just tell me when I hit the 8:2 ratio, Eight-dude! Once I learn how it feels I'll be all set!"

"Aight tough girl, I got your back! We'll do it your way, and I won't talk smack!" He smiles at her as he raps.


End file.
